In simple terms, consensus refers to agreement on some decision by all members of a group, rather than a majority or a select group of representatives. The consensus process is what a group goes through to reach this agreement. The assumptions, methods and results are very different from traditional parliamentary procedure or majority voting methods.
consensus based decision-making process is an effort in which affected parties (stakeholders) seek to reach agreement on a course of action to address an issue or set of related issues. In a consensus process, the stakeholders work together to find a mutually acceptable solution.