At Teamgage, we believe that constructive and insightful feedback is key to continuous improvement and building engaged, high-performing teams.
This guide will provide you with some best practices and expectations to consider when writing comments during feedback submission. Whether you’re celebrating success, identifying challenges, or proposing improvements, your voice matters!

What to Include in Your Comments:

When submitting feedback, your comments should be clear, actionable, and respectful. Here are a few helpful tips to guide your submission:

1. Be Specific:

• Focus on specific examples to provide context for your feedback. Avoid vague comments like “Things are going well,” and instead say, “I appreciate the new process for project updates; it has reduced confusion and improved communication across teams.”
• If you’re highlighting an area of improvement, specify what the issue is and how it impacts you or your team. For instance, instead of “Our tools are outdated,” say, “The software we’re using for project tracking is slow and frequently crashes, which affects our productivity.”

2. Offer Solutions:

• If you’re raising a challenge, try to include potential solutions or ideas. Constructive feedback is about fostering improvement. For example, “It would be helpful to have more training on the new system so the team can fully leverage its capabilities.”
• This demonstrates a proactive approach and helps your team leader understand what you believe will move things forward.

3. Balance Positive and Developmental Feedback:

• Recognise what’s working well in your team or organisation. Positive feedback boosts morale and highlights what should be continued. For example, “The new meeting format has been great for keeping discussions focused and on track.”
• Constructive or developmental feedback is just as important but ensure it is shared respectfully and thoughtfully. Rather than saying “Management never listens,” try “I think it would be helpful to have more opportunities for staff to share input in decision-making processes.”

4. Focus on Team and Organisational Impact:

• Consider how the feedback impacts your team, department, or the organisation as a whole. Comments that are personal grievances, not linked to broader team goals or performance, may be less actionable.
• Example: “I’ve noticed that when we don’t set clear deadlines for tasks, projects can get delayed. It may help if we all commit to a shared timeline upfront.”

Expectations & Rules of Engagement:

Teamgage is built on trust, transparency, and collaboration. To ensure everyone feels safe and encouraged to participate, here are a few expectations:

1. Respect & Professionalism:

• All comments should be respectful, professional, and focused on the issue at hand, not the person. Avoid personal attacks or inflammatory language.
• What to avoid: "John doesn’t know how to manage the team."
• What to write instead: "I feel we could benefit from clearer team leadership, especially around setting priorities."

2. Confidentiality & Safety:

• Teamgage protects your anonymity to encourage open and honest feedback. However, feedback should always be framed constructively and align with organisational values. 

3. Focus on Continuous Improvement:

• Feedback is meant to spark action and drive positive change. Think of feedback as an opportunity to help your team grow. Avoid framing comments in a way that creates a sense of blame or negativity.
• Use comments to suggest improvements or highlight successes rather than dwelling on past mistakes.

4. Be Actionable:

• Whenever possible, focus on providing feedback that can lead to tangible actions. Comments that offer little insight or are extremely general (e.g., "Everything's fine") make it difficult for leaders to respond meaningfully.
• Ask yourself, "Can someone take this comment and do something with it?"

Quick Examples:

Example of Good Feedback:

• "I think the new process for sprint reviews has really improved our workflow. However, the handoff between teams during the testing phase could be smoother. Would it be possible to organise a cross-team meeting to discuss improvements?"

Example of Unhelpful Feedback:

• "Everything is fine." (Too general, no specific information provided)
• "The leadership is bad." (This is more of a complaint than constructive feedback)

If you have any questions about submitting feedback or need support, feel free to reach out to your Teamgage administrator or support@teamgage.com.