One of the challenges of putting your thoughts in writing and asking for feedback is to ensure that people look at your document. I wrote about this in my blog post Have you ever heard of “Warnock’s dilemma”?
I recently learned that Google Docs can now ensure that selected individuals have reviewed your document by getting approvals on files in Google Drive. This works somewhat similarly to submitting a pull request on GitHub.
In Google Docs, you can require feedback/approval by selecting File → Approvals:
![](https://i0.wp.com/blog.lenzg.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-from-2023-02-27-11-08-11.png?resize=463%2C571&ssl=1)
A sidebar will open on the right. Click Make a request to initiate the process.
![](https://i0.wp.com/blog.lenzg.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-from-2023-02-27-11-08-35.png?resize=311%2C389&ssl=1)
This will open a dialogue that enables you to add approvers, include a message, and set due dates.
![](https://i0.wp.com/blog.lenzg.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Screenshot-from-2023-02-27-11-08-51.png?resize=733%2C624&ssl=1)
You can also decide if approvers can edit or make suggestions to the file or if it should be locked in its current state.
This looks like a useful improvement to ensure that everyone you asked to review a document has done so!
Have you used this feature before? Did it help you avoid Warnock’s dilemma and get confidence that your writings received adequate feedback?