Pronoia · MetodixBeta
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What Pronoia does

Pronoia is the software a Delphi study is run with: the panel is invited, the rounds are run, the dialogue is steered and the material is handed over to analysis. This page says what it concretely does — and what it does not.

One round at a time

A Delphi is not a survey. The difference is in what happens between the rounds.

  1. Setting upA study starts from nothing, from a wizard that pre-fills every step, or from a finished package produced in planning. In that last case the theses, the panel matrix and the round structure come along as they are.
  2. Round 0 — the thresholdAn optional opening conversation in which a panelist puts their thinking into words before the first thesis. It lowers the threshold to answer and tells the facilitator what the panel is actually talking about.
  3. Round 1 — responsesPanelists rate the theses and give their reasoning. In the argumentative variation the reasoning is mandatory: a number without a reason does not say why.
  4. DialoguePanelists see each other's reasoning anonymously, comment, challenge and support. The facilitator steers the phases, the deadlines and what is visible in each phase.
  5. Revision and resultsA panelist may revise their position in the light of the dialogue, and the change stays visible: in which direction, at which phase and after which argument. That revision trail is the actual result of a Delphi — not the closing average.

Four variations

The variation decides how responses are collected and how change is followed over time. It is chosen when the study is created and can be changed later. Seven ready-made templates combine a variation, a panel and starting theses into one starting point.

Argument Delphi
Round · CDI
Mandatory reasoning and dialogue between the rounds. The ecosystem's signature model when the reasoning matters more than the number.
Classic Delphi
Round · CCI
Scale theses and reasoning in fixed rounds, following convergence. The safest general setup.
Real-Time Delphi
Window · RCI
A continuous window with no fixed rounds: panelists see the state of the group and update their position whenever they wish.
Barometer Delphi
Wave · BCI
Repeating waves of the same set of theses over time — following a trend and the movement of opinion.

Variations and templates in the method library →

What a panelist sees

A panelist needs no account and no password: a personal invite link is enough. Responses appear to others under a pseudonym. They can answer at their own pace, one question at a time, and continue later from the same link. The interface is in Finnish, English and Swedish, and a panelist can read other people's reasoning in their own language.

What the facilitator gets

  • A report (Word) per round: distributions, reasoning and changes.
  • A data export (CSV) with pseudonyms — no names, no addresses.
  • A handoff package for analysis (JSON): responses, arguments, dialogue, the revision trail and the Round 0 material.
  • Revision statistics: who changed their position, at which phase and after which argument.
  • AI consumption per study, with a ceiling you set yourself.

What it connects to

Pronoia is the middle part of the ecosystem. Planning produces a finished research design that is read in as a single package — theses are not written twice. At the other end, analysis receives the material as a structured handoff. Both joints are a contract rather than copying, and each part can also be used on its own.

What Pronoia does not do

These are boundaries rather than gaps — but they are worth knowing before you buy.

It is not a survey tool. If what you need is a form and a response rate, this is the wrong thing to pay for.
It does not do the analysis for you. Quantitative analysis, the coding of arguments, tension maps and scenarios belong to the analysis stage; Pronoia hands the material over to it.
It does not decide when consensus has been reached. The software shows the spread and the movement; the interpretation is the researcher's.
It does not replace the facilitator. The rhythm of the rounds, the wording of the theses and knowing when a panel is finished are methodological decisions.

Look before you buy

The walkthrough demo shows the same panel through the panelist's eyes and the facilitator's, without an account. If you would rather try it on your own topic, the free Student tier covers one study at a time.

Open the demo →Ask about a pilot