Feedback and rework

In every creative project there is a moment when the room stiffens: the moment the client says what they think of the proposal. The project manager is in the middle. On one side there is a team that has put its mind into the work; on the other, a client with a problem to solve and someone to answer to. How that moment goes decides whether the project moves forward or enters the rework spiral.

The feedback that helps

There are three things every agency would like to tell its clients, and often doesn’t dare.

Explain the problem, not the solution. “Make the logo bigger” closes the road; “our audience doesn’t recognise the brand at a glance” opens it. A creative team does its best work when it knows what it must achieve, for whom and with what budget, and can find the way on its own. Imposing an idea limits the very talent you chose to pay for.

Look through your audience’s eyes. Personal taste matters, but the right question is a different one: does this work for the people it is meant for?

Be specific. “I don’t like it” and “it doesn’t work” give nobody any indication of what to change. What doesn’t convince you, where, and why? One concrete example or one piece of data is worth more than ten adjectives.

The same rules apply inside the team. Useful feedback first acknowledges what works, then says what needs changing and why. And it is given in private: criticism in front of others, even when fair, is remembered for its manner rather than its content.

Getting out of the rework spiral

When revisions never end, the temptation is to blame the client. It is better to take three steps first.

1. Self-criticism. Did I really share our approach, method and objectives? A client who doesn’t know how a proposal came about tends to judge it only by the result. Treating them as part of the team, and bringing them into the process, is the best way to reduce surprises.
2. Read the situation. Who really decides? Often your contact is passing on someone else’s opinion, or has internal difficulties they don’t mention. Understanding where feedback comes from is half the solution.
3. Act. Listen to understand where the doubts come from; bring the team into the listening; help your contact present the work to their internal stakeholders; steer the discussion back to business objectives, with evidence rather than opinions.

Then there are a few habits that prevent the spiral before it starts:

• Ask for feedback during the project, not only at the end. A doubt halfway through costs little; the same doubt in a single final email costs the project.
• Consolidated feedback, from one source. Five people commenting on the same file at five different times produce five directions.
• Declared revision rounds. How many are included in the price belongs in the Statement of Work, beforehand: afterwards it is a negotiation.
• Every change has a cost, and someone must know it. Accepting them all in silence doesn’t buy client satisfaction: it postpones it, and meanwhile eats into the margin.

Receiving negative feedback

Sooner or later it comes: harsh, perhaps unfair, perhaps in front of others. The book devotes a whole story to this moment, and the rules Marie repeats to herself work outside fiction too.

1. Listen or read carefully, all the way through.
2. Try to understand the other person’s point of view.
3. Say thank you.
4. Don’t overreact. Not in the heat of the moment, not in writing.
5. Reflect.
6. Acknowledge your mistakes and the areas where you can improve.
7. Ask for clarification.
8. Draw up an action plan to fix what went wrong.

Even unfair feedback may contain something true, and it is worth looking for. But feedback whose only purpose is to humiliate is not feedback: it is a weapon, and it should be treated as one.

When feedback turns into conflict

In creative projects conflict is inevitable: different ideas, strong personalities, pressure for results. Handled well, it becomes a chance to improve the work; ignored, it is a time bomb.

The recurring causes are always the same: working styles that don’t fit together, unclear goals and roles, poor or ambiguous communication, scarce resources to compete for, fatigue. So are the signs: tenser discussions, defensive answers, collaboration fading away.

What the PM does:

• Steps in early. Conflicts don’t resolve themselves: they fester.
• Listens to all sides, without taking sides.
• Moves the conversation to the problem, not to blame.
• Asks for help if needed, from someone neutral.
• Acts at once when faced with disrespectful behaviour, calmly and firmly. Looking the other way is the most expensive choice.

Each type of conflict has its own remedy. People who feel left out need a climate of trust; people who say “you always decide” are asking for a more participatory way of deciding; people who feel attacked need language that is direct but not violent; people who feel unfairly criticised in front of others are asking for feedback that also recognises their strengths.