Wideband Delphi

Witten by Kunyi Yang， February 2022

Abstract

The Wideband Delphi estimation method is a technique for estimating workload based on participant consensus. It is based on the Delphi method, famously developed by the RAND Corporation in the 1950s-1960s as a forecasting tool. The classic Delphi method is a method in which companies form a specialized forecasting organization, which includes several experts and corporate forecasting organizers, and follow a prescribed procedure to solicit experts' opinions or judgments about future markets back to back and then make forecasts. In the 1970s, Barry Boehm and John A. Farquhar proposed a broadband variant of the Delphi method. The term "broadband" is used because the broadband Delphi technique involves more interaction and more communication between participants than the Delphi method. It has since been adapted in many industries to estimate a wide range of tasks, from statistical data collection results to sales and marketing forecasts.

This paper will describe the main steps of Wideband Delphi and analyze its application in different areas, such as software development projects, presenting the role and advantages it plays in project management. This paper will also give practical examples with diagrams to help understand the process of its use. In addition, the paper will discuss what improvements can be made to Wideband Delphi within the existing framework and how it can be integrated with SCRUM (in Planning Poker).