Giving actionable feedback

As part of our research, we asked our internal employees to give feedback to one of our product managers. When asked about what this manager could do differently, the responses ranged from “Take a vacation!” to “Nothing, you’re great”. While that can certainly boost anyones ego, it was clear that giving constructive feedback wasn’t easy. Our product manager didn’t know what to do with the feedback, it wasn’t actionable and didn’t align with what he was doing in this quarter. How could we make giving candid feedback a comfortable and normal experience?

We realized that feedbacks most valuable when it’s contextual (timely) and actionable. Many of our customers set quarterly goals; that was a logical touchpoint our users could rely on. Referencing shared goals helps our users candidly discuss what went well and what can be improved upon on a regularly basis. Referencing these goals allows our users to recall meetings, projects and conversations that can add color and context to their feedback.