The Delphi technique intends to attain a consensus evaluates by the efforts of a number of estimators. How is this attained and what is the advantage of the Delphi technique over, for illustration, a round-table discussion?

The main problem along with a round-table discussion is which the personalities and egos of the estimators get caught up within what must be a rational or dispassionate procedure. People may feel forced to protect their evaluations high or low since to do otherwise would be considered to involve a loss of 'face' along with respected technical generation. The Delphi technique includes asking for estimates by a number of people and after that circulating the outcomes anonymously for all to observe.

Since the estimates are anonymous, estimators will not lose face through changing their minds and considering other people calculates approximately may well cause re-thinks. The difficulty with the Delphi technique is about people cannot ask questions regarding how others have arrived at their evaluations and they may thereby miss some significant issues which others have considered. Barry Boehm (observe previous) determined that a combination of the Delphi technique along with well-run workshops tended to create good outcomes.