Virtual First | Communication

Deliver efficient async reviews

Regardless of the task to be reviewed (be it illustration, copy, or code) delivering clear and effective asynchronous feedback is key to keeping distributed teams productive and on track. As a reviewer, use the steps outlined in this practice to set expectations and agree on a review process that truly supports async collaboration. Doing this not only streamlines the workflow but also frees up valuable synchronous meeting time for the 3Ds—important decisions, debates, and discussion, driving stronger results across all your projects.

10 MIN READ | PERSONAL PRACTICE

Dog waiting by door as multiple pink letters arrive which illustrates the impact of delayed or fragmented async feedback

Step 1: Clarify what you need to do

Confirm expectations early to guide your feedback and make sure your review matches what the task owner needs. When is your review needed, and how in-depth should your feedback be? Is it just a sense check to confirm direction or are you providing a full review of design, content and accuracy? By understanding what’s required upfront, you’ll remove the guesswork so you can focus on providing effective and impactful feedback from the start.

Step 2: Commit to a complete read-through

An initial read-through allows you to grasp the full context, structure, and key messages of the document so you can provide more informed and relevant feedback. It also reduces the chance that you’ll leave feedback only to realize your concerns are addressed in the next section. Additionally, you’re more likely to catch errors, bugs, or inconsistencies that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Try this

Struggling to commit to a full read-through? Consider using a timebox to help you focus on the task at hand.

Team reviewing checklist in warehouse surrounded by pink boxes which symbolizes async review and quality control

Step 3: Get to the point

When you're ready to give feedback, pull your thoughts together and share them all at once—with brevity and clarity and a focus on what's actionable. Getting distracted mid-review and only sharing partial feedback can hinder progress by requiring more interactions than necessary to finalize everything. Clearly articulate the direction you believe the writer, coder or designer should take, so they can easily interpret your feedback and minimize the need for back-and-forth communication.

Step 4: Wrap it up

Timeliness is key when sharing feedback. Waiting for one person to review a document or change request can cause a decision-making bottleneck that slows the whole project down. This can be especially challenging for teams working across timezones. Similar to ending a meeting well, how you close out your review, is just as important as how you start it. Automatic notifications are great, but reaching out directly to the document owner once your review is complete helps build trust and keeps the work flowing. This gives you a chance to follow up with a summary of your feedback and confirm the next steps.

From Dropbox

Resources to support review writing

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From others

Great resources from experts we trust

Build the habit

Tomorrow: Add time in your calendar and pause notifications so you can focus on reviewing a task in full.
Next week: Practice good feedback etiquette and send a follow up message after you have reviewed a document to align on next steps.
Quarterly: Periodically review your team’s feedback process. Consider what’s working well and what could be improved.

Next up

Ease decision-making delays

or explore all of the Communication kit