How do you know when to take in stakeholder feedback versus set boundaries for when you've gotten enough feedback?

Great question. Personally, I think feedback is a gift and I do love getting it - but timing and context are everything. The key is to bring stakeholders in early. If you wait until the final stretch, the pressure to deliver can close you off to input or lead to unproductive last-minute pivots. That said, not all feedback carries equal weight. I try to anchor decisions to the goals of the project and weigh input accordingly. For example, when working on messaging, I try to prioritize voice of th ...Read More

This is a great question, and I've seen so many projects get stalled because of "too many cooks in the kitchen". I've found the key is to listen broadly, but decide decisively. Early on, I cast a fairly wide net: I want to hear from product, sales, CS, marketing, especially if the decision impacts multiple teams. But eventually, more feedback just adds noise, not clarity. I look for convergence. When multiple people raise the same themes, that’s usually signal. Once feedback starts to diverge or ...Read More

When it comes to deciding how much stakeholder feedback to take in versus when to set boundaries, two things come to mind (using messaging as an example). First, having a clear DACI is critical. It gives you the structure to gather broad input while also making it clear that not every consulted voice will have their feedback incorporated. As the PMM, your role is to consolidate and synthesize that input, form a strong point of view, and ultimately work with a single approver to sign off. Second, ...Read More

I would break this question into two parts. How do I set timelines for feedback on a specific deliverable? We all have deliverables - this could be a pitch deck you are working on, the keynote for an event, messaging for a product launch, and all of those things have an deadline. You need to set that deadline, have an appropriate work back plan and communicate it clearly to your stakeholders. This allows you to incorporate feedback with enough time to still hit your milestones. How do I continuo ...Read More

I truly do believe in continuous, in-the-moment feedback. Though I might be biased as someone who has worked at a feedback company for about a decade… :-P This philosophy is best for performance / partnership feedback. That said, you can get stuck in feedback cycles that, if not managed well, can delay a project. Here are some tips for managing project feedback: Define & align on the DACI/RACI, or whatever you use to outline drivers, collaborators, reviewers/approvers, and those that just ne ...Read More

This question is a bit generic, so it kinda depends on what you are getting feedback for. You have to understand the overall scope and how many data points you need to increase your confidence level in the answer. For example, if you are trying to get feedback on a particular landing page for a campaign, does it help to have 10+ people give you feedback, or is 2 to 3 people enough? Who is giving you the feedback will also be important, as depending on their role, their views can be quite differe ...Read More

"Feedback is a gift" as people like to say and it certainly can be. However, to ensure feedback doesn't spiral into an endless cycle of differing opinions and back and forth conversations, it's important to align on process, key decision makers, and timelines up front. Notably, different workstreams require differing levels of feedback. If it's something as simple as a presentation for a sub-group of people (e.g. presenting campaign performance to a small marketing team), feedback loops with you ...Read More

Feedback is a gift....that you can always return for store credit. There is a difference between taking feedback and applying it and taking feedback and finding that it's not going to serve you. I have rarely said "no thank you" to anyone with feedback, but it doesn't mean I have to value it. I think this is just part of being a PMM and the center of so many initiatives. Everyone can see them and have an opinion. Feedback becomes an issue when boundaries aren't set around applying it. I have bee ...Read More

Ha I actually wrote a whole document about this at one company—about our async collaboration process. I will actually write on documents what kind of feedback I'm happy to take, and from whom. I do think of it as a bit like a diamond shape. You start with a very small group of people (execs) to identify what you want to do, and when. You then widen your audience to include more folks around the middle of the project, when you're already set some guardrails for them to operate within. Towards the ...Read More

Ah, this is a wonderful question. The secret to this is simple. There are two cohorts (groups) you want to include in your feedback. Cohort 1: If you were to send a piece of content, or an idea for a new launch over time you manager, what 3 people would they most likely send it to to get their thoughts? The top Sales rep, their boss?, the head of sales enablement, a close co-worker they have worked with for years? Include those people as part of you feedback process. Cohort 2: Who are the people ...Read More