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Don’t Let Good Advice Die in a Meeting

Gate reviews are only valuable if you actually fix the problems they identify. Most companies run great reviews, generate smart action items, then watch them disappear into the void. The winners are the ones who actually do something about the feedback.

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Separate the Must-Do from the Nice-to-Have

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What Actually Matters

  • Fix or Die: Must be done or you lose the pursuit (compliance gaps, fatal strategy flaws)
  • Fix or Lose: Important improvements that significantly impact your win probability
  • Fix When You Can: Good ideas that would help but aren’t make-or-break
  • Fix Next Time: Lessons learned for future opportunities

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Make It Impossible to Ignore

  • Be Specific: “Fix the technical approach” becomes “Add the disaster recovery section to Volume 2 by Friday”
  • Name Names: Every action item has one owner - not a committee, one person who’s accountable
  • Set Real Deadlines: Dates that actually matter, tied to your proposal schedule or next review
  • Define Done: Clear criteria so there’s no argument about whether it’s complete

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How to Actually Get Things Done

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Right After the Review

  1. Write It Down Immediately: Don’t wait - capture every action item before people forget or change their minds
  2. Get Commitments: Look people in the eye and get them to agree to own specific items
  3. Set Realistic Deadlines: Based on when you actually need this done and what else is on people’s plates
  4. Be Clear About Consequences: What happens if this doesn’t get done?

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During Execution

  1. Check Weekly: Short status meetings - what’s done, what’s stuck, what needs help
  2. Escalate Problems Early: Don’t wait until the deadline to discover something is blocked
  3. Celebrate Completions: Acknowledge when people finish their action items
  4. Validate Results: Make sure the fix actually addresses the problem that was identified

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Connect to Success

  • Track Impact: Did completing these action items actually improve your chances?
  • Learn from Failures: When action items don’t get done, figure out why and fix the process
  • Build Better Reviews: Use completion patterns to improve how you structure future reviews
  • Make It Routine: The best capture teams make action item follow-through automatic
Ready to explore partner management strategies?