[Status: Not Planned] Change "Rejected" to Something More Positive

I've been following this thread of community requests for over two years and the lack of response for what is seemingly a simple adjustment is almost as disheartening as the original choice made by the Wrike development team of using "reject" in their feedback language. It is something they created and they are unwilling to fix it. The language issue comes up regularly in our team meetings and I report back to the entire university team that the request has been made by multiple users and repeatedly ignored by the developers...for years. You see, when users report an issue, then every single time they are forced to "REJECT" a project, it's a recurring daily reminder how little Wrike support values community feedback and specific requests. I often wonder if that will contribute to our going with another management tool in future, but that remains to be seen. If I ever have influence of the decision on project management software, it's clear what my feedback will be. 

Hi folks, we've sent the recent feedback from this thread to our Product team and we're now checking to see if there's an update here. I'll get back to you shortly. 

Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

Lisa – Looking for an update on this thread as the 'Rejected' term is throwing off our very sensitive graphic designers...

I saw that the What is Goal Setting series was generated by AI and edited by experts! 
I thought I would ask ChatGPT to help with the request to remove "reject" from approvals.

Project Title: Replacing "Reject" with "Revision Needed" in Wrike Approval Process

1. Project Overview: The goal of this project is to update the Wrike approval process by replacing the term "Reject" with "Revision Needed." This change will improve the clarity of feedback and create a more positive and collaborative environment for stakeholders involved in the approval process.

2. Objectives:

• Replace the word "Reject" with "Revision Needed" throughout the Wrike approval process.
• Update relevant notifications, templates, and communication materials to reflect the new terminology.
• Communicate the change to all relevant stakeholders and provide training or guidance, if necessary.
• Ensure a smooth transition and minimize disruption to ongoing projects.

3. Project Tasks:

3.1. Planning Phase:

• Define the scope and requirements of the change.
• Identify all areas within the Wrike approval process where the word "Reject" appears.
• Determine the necessary changes to replace "Reject" with "Revision Needed" in each identified area.
• Set a timeline and allocate resources for the project.

3.2. Implementation Phase:

• Work with the Wrike administrator or IT team to update the necessary configurations in the Wrike platform.
• Modify approval workflows and notification settings to incorporate the new terminology.
• Update approval templates and forms to reflect the change.
• Test the updated approval process to ensure that the changes have been implemented correctly.
• Make adjustments and refinements as needed based on user feedback and testing results.

3.3. Communication and Training Phase:

• Develop a communication plan to inform all relevant stakeholders (e.g., project managers, team members, approvers) about the change.
• Prepare clear and concise communication materials (such as emails, presentations, or intranet announcements) to explain the reasons for the change and how it will affect the approval process.
• Provide training sessions or documentation to assist users in understanding the updated approval process.
• Address any questions or concerns raised by stakeholders and provide ongoing support as needed.

3.4. Rollout and Feedback Phase:

• Gradually implement the updated approval process across projects, teams, or departments.
• Monitor the transition and gather feedback from users on their experience with the new terminology.
• Collect and address any issues or challenges encountered during the transition.
• Continuously communicate progress and updates to stakeholders.

4. Dependencies:

• Cooperation and support from the Wrike administrator or IT team to implement the necessary changes in the Wrike platform.
• Availability of relevant stakeholders for communication, training, and feedback sessions.

5. Timeline: The estimated timeline for this project is as follows:

• Planning Phase: 1 week
• Implementation Phase: 2 weeks
• Communication and Training Phase: 1 week
• Rollout and Feedback Phase: Ongoing, until completion

Please note that the timeline may vary based on the complexity of the Wrike approval process and the number of stakeholders involved.

6. Resources:

• Project Manager: Responsible for overseeing the project, coordinating tasks, and ensuring timely completion.
• Wrike Administrator or IT Team: Responsible for making the necessary changes in the Wrike platform.
• Communication Specialist: Responsible for developing communication materials and conducting training sessions.
• Stakeholders: Project managers, team members, and approvers who are involved in the approval process.

7. Risks and Mitigation:

• Resistance to change: Mitigate this risk by clearly communicating the reasons behind the change and emphasizing the benefits it will bring.
• Technical challenges: Collaborate closely with the Wrike administrator or IT team to address any technical issues promptly.
• Training and adoption: Provide sufficient training and support materials to help users understand and adapt to the updated approval process.

By following this project plan, you can successfully replace "Reject" with "Revision Needed" in the Wrike approval process, fostering a more positive and collaborative environment for all stakeholders involved.

Agree, this should not be an issue that sits unresolved for 3 years. Having rejected as the only response is poor design or intentional. 

REJECTED @...

Hey Juan I think “Declined” is moving in the right direction although I think letting people have the ability to change it to whatever term they want would be the best-case scenario.

If you plan to change "Rejected" to "Declined", then you likely need to change "Approved" to "Accepted". Would still recommend a "Changes needed" or similar.

Thank you for sharing your opinion folks, we'll pass it on to the team 🙌

Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

Any update on changing "rejected" to something more positive? 

Not at the moment Becky Costello, but I'll share your interest with our team 👍

Lisa Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

Lisa Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

I'd like to add that it would be helpful if Admins could customize the language to something that best suits their team and teams' workflows. That way, there's no need for Wrike to find a word that would work universally for everyone and each customer can tailor the language to what suits them. For instance, even something milder like "declined" wouldn't be as accurate for us as something like "changes required".

Hi Bernadette, thank you for sharing your suggestion and for adding your support for this idea 👍

Greetings. Do we have any updates on this? The prominent red "REJECTED" label has impacted morale over time, making me less motivated to engage with the tool. I understand that the approver doesn’t intend to be harsh when suggesting changes or even when declining a submission. However, as a UX designer, I know that microcopy plays a crucial role in shaping user behavior and reducing friction. Empathetic feedback encourages users to take corrective actions without feeling attacked. Some users are more sensitive than others. Please make this update soon. Thank you.

Hi Andrew, welcome to the Community. Thank you for taking the time to share this feedback with us, it's with our Product Team now 👍

I'm afraid that we don't have updates about this suggestion at the moment, however, we will keep you informed if anything changes in the the future.

Also, I'd like to mention that you can check our New to Community forum to discover all the resources you can find in our Community 🙂

Upvoting and noting that my team echoes Bernadette's early sentiment. We have multiple sub-teams working in Wrike and the ability to tailor language to their individual needs with approvers would be hugely beneficial. 

Thank you for upvoting this, Anna Baker. While we don't have any updates at the moment, we will keep you in the loop with any changes regarding this. Thank you! 😊

Basudha Sakshyarika Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

Basudha Sakshyarika Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

It's not just that it's disheartening, it's just incorrect. If I have a task called Draft 1, which I then request feedback on, it's not that the Draft has been rejected. It's just moving on to Draft 2 stage. So "reject" doesn't make sense. It should be Needs Changes, and then the task is completed. Is the idea that you'd have one task where all the drafts at every stage are uploaded??

100%, Polly Harley.

My team is still struggling with the lack of an "approved with changes" options. Whether you "approve" or "reject" a task, you are given the option to add a comment. Unfortunately, this comment is attached to the decision and doesn't behave like a typical task comment (ie - I can't tag anyone). So I've had to train my team to not gloss over an approval or rejection and instead look for tiny text buried in the feed that might say "approve with changes, see notes" or something similar. It is missed so often that I usually just take extra time and follow up with a second "task" comment tagging the assignee, in addition to my initial comment.

Polly Harley

I just thought of another workaround for your use case. Instead of using approvals at all, you could create a custom workflow for certain item types that move between draft, editing, revisions, etc. Then, you can use automation to reassign the tasks (and add comments or whatever) as the current owner changes the status. For example, person moves it from "not started" to "drafting," then attached the draft and and changes the status to "draft submitted." Automation would see that status and reassign the task to you. You could change the status to "editing" and then, when complete, change the status to "changes submitted," which would assign it back to them, rinse and repeat. When you're satisfied and no more changes are needed, you could change it from "editing" to "approved," which would assign it back to them (or someone else) to initiate however the final product is to be published (or create a new task for that).

Teddy I'm not sure what nonsense of an additional 900 steps your talking about. Just get the reject button to be customizable. Its honestly embarrassing to wrike that this conversation has gone on for MANY YEARS and no real answers or changes have been made.   

It's plainly obvious that Wrike disagrees with us and does not consider a priority, Dylan. Otherwise, it would have been changed years ago. 

Dylan Christ I'm not a Wrike employee. In fact, I upvoted this suggestion years ago. Beyond simply renaming "rejected," I'm even holding out for a much more robust and flexible approval functionality that meets our team's needs (e.g., approved with changes, etc.).

The workaround that I posted only occurred to me as I was considering the use case that Polly posted. I was just trying to help out a fellow Wriker, but I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

After spending thirty years as an MIS admin collaborating with major enterprise software vendors like Ticketmaster, I've learned an immutable law regarding UX (user experience): the top 20% of clients by revenue drive 80% of the upgrades. Wrike has one or more large clients who likely consider what many of us view as a minor revision to be disruptive to their UX.

Basudha Sakshyarika Community Team at Wrike Wrike Product Manager Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover

Basudha Sakshyarika Wrike Team member Become a Wrike expert with Wrike Discover