How do you structure feedback for your devs so it’s the most constructive? Have you ever had a developer feel hurt or blindsided by critical feedback?

625 viewscircle icon1 Upvotecircle icon2 Comments
Sort by:
Director of Engineering in Software14 days ago

Feedback is always difficult to give constructively, and take with positive intent, in my view. I'd recommend taking the "continue" and "consider" approach, using evidence/scenario based rationale.

I.e. 
"continue": Behaviours you would love them to continue doing and build upon, and
"consider": Behaviours you would like them to think/reflect on and adjust to do things differently

For instance, I may say:
"The work you did on setting up the initial client engagement was outstanding. Taking a lead role in making sure that the team understood the scope and context, and then setting the scene clearly in the initial client session. Continue to take that leading role in proactive engagement.
When the solution was delivered, the client felt that they struggled to catch-up with you - consider taking a more proactive approach to business transition in future".

(bit of a top of mind example - but hopefully illustrative)

Head of Growth in Software17 days ago

I try to get our team as close as possible to our clients and their feedback on the product. This allows them to understand not only what needs to change or improve but, more importantly, why it matters to the client and how it adds value.

By directly involving themselves in the feedback loop, developers build empathy, learn faster and take ownership of improvements.

To borrow a sporting analogy, it's important to play the ball, not the person.

Content you might like

Finding data and putting it to good use13%

Controlling the security and privacy of data45%

Understanding how data is currently being used20%

All of the above19%

None of the above1%

View Results

Executive Support10%

Projects vs. Operations68%

Building a culture of Security15%

Team Completeness5%

View Results