How to collaborate during revisions

Ten simple rules for managing multiple content reviewers

Complex projects often involve many people in reviews and approvals. 

This can include other team members, units, managers, executives and external stakeholders. And all of them bring varying perspectives and expertise. 

Coordinating multiple reviewers can be challenging, especially if there is urgency or sensitivity around the project.  

You can easily find yourself consumed by discussion, comparing multiple documents and negotiating conflicting ideas and opinions. Projects get delayed or, even worse, come to a standstill. 

As each person contributes, messages can become less clear and there is a loss of consistent voice. The quality of the end product often suffers, leaving project teams disheartened and disappointed. 

To keep your project moving smoothly, here are our practical tips to encourage collaborative, productive revisions. 

1. Take the lead

Leadership is critical to ensure the review process is undertaken on time. As the content owner, you need to manage the review process at every step through to completion. This involves following up deadlines, acknowledging contributions and proposing solutions to resolve conflict. 

You should also look ahead to make sure there are no potential delays. Check your reviewers work schedules to ensure they’ll be available when you need them. 

2. Use a collaborative program

Avoid the inefficiency of working across multiple documents. Web-based applications like Google Docs and Microsoft Sharepoint allow you and your reviewers to work in the same document. Share your content with anyone, manage their permissions, and make edits and comments in one place to get revisions done faster.

When reviewers can see the changes and comments made by other stakeholders, it can help them view content from multiple perspectives and provide more constructive feedback. 

You’ll also avoid the awkward situation of having two reviewers change the same paragraph in entirely different ways. 

3. Maintain version control

If you’re unable to use web-based software, make sure you save each version of your document separately. Version control is important for projects that undergo a lot of revisions before being finalised. Label your document with the version number and update this after every review. Common systems for labelling documents include version 1, 2, 3 ... through to final, or version 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 … through to 1.0.

4. Include a reviewer table

Create a reviewer table at the top of your document for a transparent record of the review process. Each reviewer can add their name and the date they approve the content for other reviewers to see. It can also be useful to add a rationale column, where each reviewer can provide a summary of their changes.

5. Establish the approval hierarchy

Identify who needs to be involved in revisions and their level of ownership or authority over the content. Then, send your document to one reviewer at a time, starting with the most junior decision-maker and working up towards the final approver. Hold off on making revisions until you have all of the feedback.

6. Set clear expectations 

When you send your document for reviewers, make it clear what’s expected of them. Explain what a revision is and what you’re looking for by requesting feedback. Are you asking for confirmation about something or do you need them to rewrite content? Do you want their opinion on punctuation and grammar or just their approval of the overall concept? Will a professional editor check the document before publishing?

7. Provide context

Include a summary about what you’ve written, including its audience and purpose. Reiterate the project mandate and objectives, and how you’ve written your content to achieve them. This will provide context for the reviewer to help them focus on providing relevant feedback.

8. Add comments

Add comments to the document to direct reviewers to topics that require a decision. Use strategic comments to explain your approach, especially if you think it could be a matter that’s debated. Each reviewer can reply to the comment, creating a threaded discussion for everyone to see. 

You can also add layout and formatting notes to your writing, to help reviewers visualise the copy in the product. 

9. Use Suggestion mode

Don’t let your reviewers make direct changes. Ask them to use Suggestion mode (for Google Docs) or Track changes (for Microsoft Word).  Make sure to leave each person’s edits in the document as it continues through the review process. This provides a breadcrumb trail of the changes that have been made and ensures they are approved by the most senior reviewer.

10. Encourage comments 

Unless an error is being corrected, it’s usually more helpful if reviewers leave comments. This keeps everyone focused on specific feedback, rather than personal writing preferences. When you make changes in response to comments, you can ensure the writing style and tone remains consistent. 

It’s often difficult for a writer, project manager or content owner to see their work marked with edits, suggestions and critiques. Providing clear parameters around your revision process and what you need from your reviewers is key. It ensures you get valuable feedback that elevates what you’ve created.

And it helps to remember that, if you’re writing corporate or brand products, your role is to champion the topic, brand or purpose. To be a champion for your audience and the project goals so that they aren’t lost in the process.