An engineering managers guide to give constructive criticism

What is constructive criticism?

Constructive criticism is a form of feedback that aims to enhance the performance of dev team members in a specific area. Engineering managers should focus on communicating specific, actionable suggestions in a respectful and supportive manner. When providing constructive criticism, the focus is on encouraging team members’ growth and learning in order to directly enhance project outcomes. This feedback should be grounded in the team’s skill set and shared understanding of project goals with the aim of presenting viable solutions to the challenges.

Difference between constructive and deconstructive feedback

While constructive feedback is straightforward in its approach, offering clear examples and solutions for improvement, deconstructive feedback focuses on pointing out what’s wrong without offering any insight or suggestions on how to improve. It’s important that managers adopt the constructive feedback framework in order to cultivate a supportive and collaborative environment in the workplace.

Key components of constructive criticism

As with any feedback, constructive criticism has a framework with three key components:

1. Specificity: Constructive criticism should provide detailed feedback and avoid vague comments.
2. Objectivity: The feedback needs to be unbiased and based on factual observations, ensuring that the criticism is not mixed with personal opinions.
3. Actionability: The feedback needs to cover the practical steps that are required to overcome the shortcomings so that the team members can avoid making the same mistake in the future.

Benefits of constructive criticism

Constructive criticism offers multiple benefits, such as the following:

• Improves dev performance: Constructive criticism helps individuals identify where they need to improve in order to achieve better outcomes, improving dev team members’ productivity and enhancing their abilities in other professional endeavors.
• Strengthens relationships among team members: Constructive criticism fosters a positive atmosphere where trust, collaboration and transparency are promoted in an open communication channel.
• Boosts confidence and self-esteem: When constructive criticism is combined with the acknowledgment of efforts, team members feel seen and valued, which significantly impacts their self-esteem and confidence.

Tips for giving effective constructive criticism

Giving constructive criticism can be a tedious task, so we’ve gathered some tips that you can utilize to give effective constructive criticism:

• Provide actionable feedback
• Give positive comments
• Adopt a friendly tone
• Provide support
• Reward improvement

Provide actionable feedback

Effective constructive criticism involves a combination of suggestions for improvement and practical advice for growth. It must also provide clear instructions on what needs improvement. Managers need to be ready to discuss the steps team members should take for personal development.

Give positive comments

The goal of constructive criticism is not just to pinpoint areas of improvement. Rather, it aims to help team members become better contributors to the team. So, it’s important for managers to make sure to give positive comments, which include highlighting the efforts of the individuals that have yielded positive results. When team members feel like their work is being noticed and appreciated, they’re motivated to further improve themselves. While intrinsic motivation drives individuals, it is the motivation from appreciation of one’s work that achieves high-quality deliverables for the team.

Adopt a friendly tone

Giving feedback can be uncomfortable when there’s a divide between what is being said and how the speaker delivers the criticism. It’s important for managers to use a friendly tone and keep their body language at ease so that the other person does not feel awkward. Any slight annoyance or frustration can lead to the other person getting defensive, impeding the goal of constructive feedback.

Provide support

Words without actions never yield great results. When offering constructive criticism, it’s crucial for managers to suggest tools or offer training so that the team members can take practical steps toward making real-time improvements. Offering supportive solutions demonstrates a manager’s commitment to their team member’s success and growth, which ultimately contributes to the development of the team as a whole.

Reward improvement

Constructive criticism is not just limited to giving feedback, it’s an ongoing process that requires a follow-up. Engineering managers need to notice, recognize, and commend any improvements — regardless of how small they may be. When managers acknowledging the progress of team members, it reinforces the value of their efforts and motivates them to grow as individuals. Moreover, such a practice builds a culture of trust and continuous improvement.

Final word

Constructive feedback is a feedback approach designed to address the shortcomings of team members without making them feel discouraged or unmotivated. It promotes an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to seek assistance and work toward personal growth and development.