In the first step of this approach, the responses to the research questions are systematically ranked
and placed into adoption horizons by each advisory board member using a multi-vote system that
allows members to weight their selections. Each member is asked to also identify the timeframe
during which they feel the technology would enter mainstream use — defined for the purpose of
the project as about 20% of institutions adopting it within the period discussed. (This figure is
based on the research of Geoffrey A. Moore and refers to the critical mass of adoptions needed for
a technology to have a chance of entering broad use.) These rankings are compiled into a
collective set of responses, and inevitably, the ones around which there is the most agreement are
quickly apparent.