Managing Feedback

Feedback should be expected as part of the project process and should be encouraged because it can provide valuable insights and improve the quality of the work. It can help facilitate communication, motivate team members, and mitigate risks by catching mistakes early.

However, there can also be bad feedback that stifles the work and doesn’t contribute to propelling the project forward. We’ve all had that one project that got stuck in a constant loop where feedback seemed to come in and never stop, thus extending the life of the project and burning out the team. And, in most cases, the final product doesn’t remotely resemble what was asked for in the first place. (I once had a 14-month single webpage redesign that was guilty of all of these things, I kid you not.)

So, how do you garner good feedback and avoid the bad (and the ugly)? 

Before Project Kickoff

Seek to identify one stakeholder as the main point of contact (POC) for the project and have them confirm their role. This person is usually the brief owner and is accountable for the project. They are the ultimate decision-maker and have the final say on whether the work is complete or not. For example, “Sally, should I plan to work directly with you for all reviews and feedback?” Be explicit.

Ensure the creative brief is tight and that all accountable and consulted stakeholders (those in your RAM) are aligned on the target audience, objectives and deliverables.

Make sure to set expectations for rounds of feedback, especially if you are tasked with managing budgets and have a set SOW (scope of work) for this project. Dedicate time during the kickoff or briefing call to remind everyone of what to expect and if there is a cap on rounds of work. For example, “for this project we’re going to be looking at an initial round of six to eight designs, and then we’ll move into refinements to address specific feedback to three selected designs.” Be explicit and redundant.

During the Project

Continue to develop the relationship with your key stakeholder by being responsive to any communication, but especially to feedback. Proactively provide status updates without sharing work to avoid showing incomplete work that hasn’t yet addressed their feedback. For example, “Hi Sally, we are actively working on the last round of feedback and are on track to share out work early next week. I’ll be sure to let you know if anything changes.” 

Remember that you are the first in the line of defense for your team. Advocate for them if you see feedback start to come in piecemeal or from multiple stakeholders. Engage your POC to ask for clarity on comments, ask them to wait to share until they’ve consolidated comments, and finally, ask them to confirm what, as the project owner, is actionable. Whenever possible, try to avoid sending feedback to your team before it’s all submitted.

Read the feedback yourself. If you are confused on what they’re asking for, chances are, so will your creatives.

If you are tasked with managing budgets and are limited in rounds of work, make sure to remind them of their allotment so it’s not an inconvenient “surprise” later. For example, “Hi Sally, I’m sending through our second round of creative work here. As a reminder, this will be our second and final round of edits based on our SOW so we appreciate the thoroughness of this review.” Of course, I always find it’s good to be a little flexible when it comes to minor refinements after the fact, especially if they are critical in nature (i.e. a missed typo or legal requirement). 

OK, but what is good feedback? 

Good feedback is consolidated.

Good feedback is actionable. 

Good feedback is specific. 

Good feedback asks questions as to why creative decisions were made. 

Good feedback presents a problem and asks the experts (the creative team) to solve this particular problem. 

Good feedback relates back to the brief.

Good feedback is not personal because, in most cases, the stakeholder is not the target audience.

Takeaways 

Feedback in general is tough (especially in creative project management) because creative is subjective. But hopefully these tips help you in managing feedback and work through any feedback in a way that’s positive to the project and team. Happy critiquing!