Weighted Survey to Plan our Big Girls' Day Out
WOO - You've locked down a date! 14 potentials travelling from across England to reunite! The group chat spirals. Someone suggests a bottomless brunch (😉). Someone else counters with a very nice looking pub about 30 miles away from your meeting point. Then, the introduction to Pinot and Painting, ooh! But wait, a 90’s pizza bar? (Oh, London, how I miss you)
Three days later, four people react with thumbs up to three different suggestions. No one confirms anything. The chat goes quiet for two days.
The Problem with Group Decision-Making
Here's the thing about planning with a group: everyone wants to be accommodating. "I'm fine with whatever!" they say, while secretly hoping their preference wins. Or perhaps worse, they have strong opinions but don't want to be “That Person” who insists on their choice. Or they voice their strong opinion with a vote of one. The back and forth continues…
This isn't unique to my beautiful friends, nor is it new. This is just how group dynamics work when there's no structure. But I'm a Product Operations Manager who builds Notion databases for fun. You think I'm going to let a girls' day out descend into chaos?
Nope.
In less than 10 minutes, I whipped up a survey with Google forms. It covered:
Lunch venues (linked locations, price range and menus)
Post-lunch activities
Budget comfort level
But here's the key: I didn't just ask "where would you like best?", and hope for a clear winner with a free table. I asked my dear friends to rank their top three choices. (Weightings- first choice: 1.5 points, Second choice: 1 point, Third choice: 0.5 points) There was also an option for “I absolutely can’t eat anything here”, which fair enough, no vegan wants a steak lunch.
Then I collected responses, tallied the weighted scores, and reduced the scores of "maybe attending" by 30%. The items with the highest weighted scores that fit most people's preferences won.
No endless deliberation. No hurt feelings about someone's suggestion getting ignored. No issues about being slightly further away from destination stations. Just a clear, democratic outcome based on everyone's actual preferences, a time and a place.
The Reaction
An overriding gratitude that the process took the hassle out of the planning, so we could focus on having a good time. My full use of Google Suite had my good chum saying that I had her "mind and heart <3", and this is coming from perhaps the most organised person I've ever met.
And honestly? It just worked. We had a plan and bookings within 48 hours. Everyone felt heard because their preferences were literally weighted and counted. No drama. No spirals. Just a confirmed plan so we can look forward to a really lovely day out.
And so…
Look, you can totally plan a casual hangout without sending weighted surveys, (I mean, if that’s your vibe). But here's what this little experiment reinforced for me:
Structure eliminates decision fatigue. When you remove ambiguity, people can actually make decisions faster and with less stress. No one wants endless options and to be a dictator in a lot of scenarios.
Data removes emotion (in a good way). No one felt put out that their proposal or first choice didn't win because of the method.
Democratic doesn't mean slow. People assume that getting everyone's input takes forever. But with the right structure, it's faster than endless unstructured debate.
Process design works everywhere. Whether it's ProdOps or planning a spa day, the same principles apply: understand the problem, reduce friction, make decisions based on data, context, insight - then go ahead and execute.
Leadership comes in many formats. Leadership isn't always visible, or obvious. Sometimes it's quietly implementing a system that helps friends, and teams, move forward with purpose and intent.
Would I Do This Again?
Absolutely. In fact, I'm already creating a template in my role as the School-Parent-Rep of Year 3, pulling together a Christmas parent celebration.
Am I going to become “That Friend” who sends Google Forms for similar scenarios? Maybe. Well, yes 100%. But, I'm also the friend (and colleague) who will take the drama out of getting sh*t done.
The girls have spoken. The verdict is: this works.
Ps. You can sit with us.
