Brainstorming is a good start, but far from adequate. Discussion and communication is important, but not enough. Voting is 'democratic' but not an effective nor efficient way to make decisions.
A process that focuses on stakeholders' objectives will lead to choices of alternatives that best meet objectives in a way that is open and transparent. It is common for discussions of interested parties to focus on alternatives. This approach, including voting, almost always results in endless dialogs of pointing out the pros of one's favored alternatives and the cons of the others. In contrast, discussions and processes that focus on the relative importance of objectives and the effectiveness of alternatives with respect to these objectives result in more effective solutions that are transparent in the sense that the rationale for the decisions are clear. Even those not in favor of chosen alternatives can understand the rationale for the decisions.
Effective ways to address complex issues have been developed and successfully applied over the past 25 years. The one that is most widely used throughout the world today is the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). It is a way to structure, measure and synthesize that is not only theoretically sound, but straightforward. It allows for both objectivity and subjectivity. (See Decision by Objectives by Forman and Selly as well as http://mdm.gwu.edu/forman and http://expertchoice.com.
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