A Work In Progress: 5 Ways To Increase Feedback On A Project

Feedback and collaboration are absolutely essential to designing a new product, completing a project or really just implementing anything well in your business. Even if one employee could successfully complete a project from start to finish, outside ideas are necessary to get truly great results. If you’re looking to increase the feedback you receive, here are the ways to do it.

Ask For It

The simplest solution to increasing feedback on a project is simply to ask for it. After all, nobody is going to know you’re seeking feedback if you don’t advertise it first. It’s also important to ask a variety of people for feedback. For example, feedback on your project from an accountant’s point of view might expose different issues or considerations than an IT specialist’s would. If you want feedback from your customers as well as your employees, send out surveys and perhaps offer incentives for responses.

Get More People Involved

This is a great way to get more feedback because it comes with the added benefit of getting other people involved and invested in the project. Even your best employees and managers can’t juggle every element of a complex project at once, and oftentimes bringing on additional help will get the project completed faster. Once involved in the project, other employees will start stating their opinions and offering suggestions for how to move the project forward. Involving other employees also makes them feel valued and like their contributions and opinions matter, which will increase loyalty.

Use Project Management Software

Software and technology have come a long way in even the last ten years, and there are now plenty of good options of project management software and digital proofing that you can buy for your business that allow for instantaneous give-and-take feedback. A key feature of project management software is built-in live chat features that allow your team to communicate in real time regarding the project and the work that’s being done on it. The more project management software is integrated into the daily work on this project, the more employees will be encouraged to use it and speak their minds about the project’s direction.

Have An Open Door Policy

When meeting with a manager or supervisor is ritualized and he or she normally stays behind closed doors, it discourages communication and prevents feedback on a project from flowing freely. Instating an open door policy will have an added bonus in addition to making it easier for employees to give updates and feedback and vice versa throughout the day: it will create a more open atmosphere in your office and a more welcome, collaborative work environment. This will improve your office environment overall and make your company a more desirable place to work.

Hold Meetings

Instead of just letting things happen as they may, it might very well be a good idea to hold periodic meetings, either in-person or via conference call, to discuss the progress of the project. This is perhaps even more important if you or other employees are largely working on their own and don’t get to communicate and collaborate with others very often. These meetings create an environment for employees to brainstorm ideas for how to proceed with the project, which will result in them being more likely to give their opinions about how the project has been handled so far.

Little to no feedback can ultimately either doom a project that doesn’t go well or result in a lackluster outcome. Encouraging collaboration and honest feedback on any project, no matter big or small, is key to completing the project successfully, effectively and correctly. Increase feedback by trying out any combination of the methods mentioned above.