You’ve received feedback, but how can you make it actionable and measurable?

When you get customer feedback, it is crucial to understand several things - the context they were in, the job they wanted to do, and the result they had. When thinking about the product feedback, I am working in the frame of the "value proposition canvas," where I am thinking of the customer's gains, pains and JTBD. Also, I am checking if this is the representative of the product persona or a minor customer, as sometimes our product might be used by people it was not designed for.

"Feedback is a Gift" is a maxim that underscores the value of feedback in personal and professional growth. It begins with acknowledging and expressing gratitude to the feedback giver for their insights. The main idea is that feedback is valuable and should be appreciated. When someone gives you feedback, thank them and try to understand why they're giving it. Figure out what they expect from you and whether their feedback is based on reliable information. Once you understand the feedback, use it to make positive changes. Keep the feedback giver involved in the process and appreciate their input. This creates a culture of learning and improvement.

In my experience, the first step to leveraging feedback is to ensure its clarity and context. I've found it immensely helpful to engage directly with the feedback providers, seeking specifics and examples. This approach, honed during my time leading projects at Robin House, allows me to understand not just the 'what' but the 'why' behind the feedback. It's about transforming a piece of feedback from a vague suggestion into a clear, actionable insight. This clarity is crucial because it sets the foundation for meaningful changes, ensuring that every action taken is directly aligned with the underlying intent of the feedback.

Identify actionable insights or actionable items within the feedback that you can act upon to make improvements. Focus on key themes, patterns, or areas where you can make meaningful changes to address the feedback and enhance your performance or outcomes

Understand the root cause of feedback. Before you jump in and start planning on addressing it. Sometimes feedback is not real. Once I asked my manager who said I should work on my communication. Which was really interesting so I asked him is there a data point he could share so I can understand the context. He simply said I just threw it in there. I mean there's no way to address something like that. So never assume that person who is giving feedback is right or truthful.

There are several additional factors to consider when prioritizing feedback: - understand who the persona who gives this feedback - it is a primary or secondary user or not our user at all? You can have the stakeholder map for feedback prioritization (based on the interest and impact score). Some more things to consider: - how impactful is the feedback, and what’s the effort required to implement it? - is it urgent feedback, or can we wait? - is this feedback aligned with your strategic objectives?

There are various frameworks available for categorizing feedback, but my favorite is the 20:80 rule. This rule suggests that prioritizing the 20% of efforts that yield 80% of the benefits is most effective, especially when it aligns with customer or market demands. Regardless of the framework used, the central principle remains keeping the customer at the forefront and as the driving force behind decision-making.

Given that feedback can come from both stakeholders and end users. The Stakeholder Map is a great tool for categorizing stakeholder feedback based on influence and interest in the project. In terms of end-user feedback, categorizing it based on the stage of the project, such as discovery, concept validation, target price, testing and refinement, is an effective approach.

Planning entails both mapping out the work and refining the plan as you go along. Remaining agile is essential to swiftly incorporate any changes that align with customer needs during the planning process. Based on my experience, it's critical to consider the following: 1) Ensure each action is clear, specific, assigned an owner, and has a due date. 2) Highlight and align dependencies before starting the work. 3) Confirm the availability of sufficient capacity and resources. 4) Seek leadership support for risk mitigation strategies. 5) Ensure team alignment and clarity in communication while working together.

From my experience, there should be a system of the prioritization and feedback reaction, especially in distributed teams when there are different sources for customer feedback: sales, customer support, product team, UX team, etc. So create the system to support the action. The action can be planned based on the impact-effort scale, where the first to be implemented can be low-hanging fruit, but don't forget to prioritize the persona and the impact and align it with the product roadmap.

Prioritize actions based on their impact and urgency, focusing on addressing the most critical or high-priority feedback first. Consider the potential impact of each action on achieving your objectives and allocate resources accordingly.

Good feedback is like a boon. It helps you grow and strengthen areas that you have blind spots on. One time someone gave me feedback that my presentations did not look pretty. I went back and asked my manager to pay for a class that helps me improve my presentation skills and I still review those materials from time to time.

from my point of view it is necessary to define key performance indicators (KPIs) or metrics to measure progress towards your objectives. Ensure that these KPIs are aligned with the specific goals you're trying to achieve and are measurable over time

Before measuring outcomes, it's crucial to ensure alignment between Business and IT. Once this is achieved, focus on measuring what truly matters. Avoid getting caught up in a long list of metrics that don't contribute to your specific goals. Avoid the common pitfall of mistaking outputs for outcomes. While outputs are important, ensure they serve as leading indicators for your desired outcomes. Measure these outcomes, gather feedback, and strategize for improvements. This process should be continuous and iterative. Outputs refer to the direct results of activities or processes, often tangible and measurable. Outcomes, on the other hand, are the broader, long-term impacts or changes resulting from these outputs like CSAT, growth etc

Once an action plan is in place, the real work begins with measuring its impact. Drawing from my tenure at ClaimDeck, I've always prioritized establishing clear, quantifiable metrics before implementing any changes. This could range from user engagement rates to product performance indicators. The key is to have a baseline to compare against, to truly gauge the effectiveness of the actions taken. It's this rigorous approach to measurement that has enabled my teams and me to not just make changes, but to make the right changes, driving continuous improvement in a way that's both informed and strategic.

Sometimes outcomes are hard to measure on your own. Ask for feedback from similar folks to see if you have addressed their feedback. Always be open to learning.

Having clear control over the launch of new versions of the product, as well as clear KPIs to determine whether the changes were effective, is critical for establishing an appropriate product development process. Without it, how do you know if there was any actual "development"?

Sometimes in Life and in any Software / Product journey , not all feedback are actionable , based on the situation . we may need to find if Feedback is actionable or possible . Power to say "no" or Deciding whether to take the feedback in at this time or to be considered for latter is also key . there are two sides to the feedback .. there is story "Ford" made all cars black - made customers to choose a color by default not offerin any choice ,whereas you hear companies considering feedback from all ( customers / Suppliers / employees.. 360* feedback) So Culture to accept feedback is also embedded in which organization you are in.

Transforming feedback into fuel for innovation, I embarked on a journey at InVision to amplify the voice of our users. Inspired by a chance encounter, I pioneered Feedback Fusion it’s a multi layered tool and concept that you can DM me to learn more about. In simple terms I aimed on gamifying the process and blending qualitative insights with quantitative data, we not only measured feedback but also humanized it, igniting a passion for empathy-driven innovation within our team. As I always say: In the voice of the user lies the heartbeat of innovation.

Translate feedback into SMART GOALS. S - specific M - Measurable A - Achievable R - Relevant T - Time bounded Do short term planning keeping long term goals in mind. Make short term goal on the SMART principle.

Beyond the direct feedback loop, it's vital to maintain a holistic view. In my ventures I've learned the importance of considering the broader ecosystem in which our products and strategies exist. This means looking at industry trends, competitor movements, and underlying market shifts. It's about being agile and adaptive, ready to pivot not just based on the feedback received but also in anticipation of the evolving landscape. Additionally, fostering a culture that views feedback as a gift and an opportunity for growth is crucial. It's this mindset that encourages continuous learning and innovation, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of change, consistently delivering value to our users and stakeholders.