If you’ve ever tried herding cats, you know what it’s like building surveys with a team. Everyone’s got opinions, deadlines sneak up, and it’s easy for feedback to pile up in your inbox like laundry. This guide is for anyone who needs to corral ideas, avoid version chaos, and get real work done together using SurveyMonkey.
Whether you’re wrangling your first group survey or you’re tired of endless reply-all emails, here’s how to actually collaborate in SurveyMonkey—without losing your mind or your data.
1. Set the Ground Rules First
Before you even log in, get the basics straight with your team. This saves headaches later.
- Decide who needs to be involved. More people means more opinions. Be honest: not everyone needs edit access. Sometimes “reviewer” or “commenter” is enough.
- Pick a main survey owner. This person will create the survey and manage permissions. Usually, it’s the project lead.
- Agree on deadlines. Otherwise, you’ll get stuck in feedback limbo.
Pro tip: Write these decisions down somewhere everyone can see. A shared doc, Slack thread, whatever.
2. Create the Survey and Set Up Sharing
Now, into SurveyMonkey. Here’s how to get your team actually working together:
a. Create the survey
The owner logs into SurveyMonkey and starts a new survey. Don’t waste time making it perfect; just get the basics in place.
b. Share the survey with the right people
SurveyMonkey isn’t Google Docs—collaboration is there, but it’s not always intuitive. Here’s what matters:
- You need a Team Plan. Most collaboration features (like multiple editors) aren’t available on personal/free accounts. Check your plan before promising collaboration.
- Add colleagues as collaborators: Go to the survey, hit “Share,” and invite team members. You can set permissions—View Only, Comment, or Edit.
- Assign the right roles: Don’t give everyone editing power unless you enjoy chaos. Use “Comment Only” if you just want feedback.
What doesn’t work? Emailing around exported survey PDFs or links. It’s a version nightmare. Use SurveyMonkey’s built-in sharing tools, even if they’re a bit clunky.
3. Use Comments and Suggestions, Not Just Edits
Editing isn’t the same as collaborating. If everyone edits at once, you’ll end up with a Frankenstein’s monster of a survey.
- Use the comment feature: On paid Team Plans, collaborators can leave comments on questions and pages. This keeps feedback organized and in context.
- Resolve comments: Don’t just let them pile up. Mark them as resolved when you’ve addressed them.
- Be specific: Comments like “this question is unclear” are more useful than “fix this.”
Reality check: If your plan doesn’t include commenting, you’re stuck with workaround solutions—like a shared doc for feedback. It’s not ideal, but better than chaotic edits.
4. Version Control: Avoid Survey Soup
SurveyMonkey doesn’t have true version history like Google Docs. You can’t always “see what changed” or easily roll back. So:
- Make copies before big changes. If you’re about to overhaul the survey, duplicate it first. Name it clearly—e.g., “Pre-Edits May 2024.”
- Keep a changelog: A simple Google Doc or a section at the top of your survey description can track what’s changed. It’s low-tech, but it works.
- Limit who can edit: Fewer editors means fewer surprises.
Ignore the temptation to export and re-import surveys to manage versions. It’s a pain, and you’ll lose comments and settings.
5. Test the Survey Together
You won’t catch every problem by yourself. Here’s how to test as a group:
- Send test links: SurveyMonkey lets you preview and share test links. Use these for team walkthroughs.
- Assign parts: Have each person focus on specific sections. It speeds things up and catches more issues.
- Check logic and flow: Don’t just look for typos. Make sure skip logic and branching make sense.
Pro tip: Have someone outside your core team take the survey. Fresh eyes catch things insiders miss.
6. Gather and Discuss Feedback (Without the Chaos)
Here’s how to actually use your team’s feedback, instead of drowning in it:
- Centralize feedback: Use SurveyMonkey comments when possible. If not, pick a single doc or Slack thread—don’t scatter feedback everywhere.
- Schedule a short review call: Sometimes a 15-minute call saves hours of back-and-forth.
- Decide what’s actionable: Not every suggestion is gold. Prioritize changes that actually improve clarity or results.
What to ignore: Trying to please everyone. You’ll end up with a confusing survey. Make tough calls when needed.
7. Lock It Down and Launch
Once the team agrees:
- Lock editing: Change permissions to View Only for most people. This prevents last-minute edits that can break your logic or mess up question order.
- Double-check settings: Make sure everything (anonymity, response limits, deadlines) is correct before you send it live.
- Send the survey: Use SurveyMonkey’s collector to launch. Don’t use your personal email or a random link unless you want tracking headaches.
What Actually Works (And What Doesn’t)
What works
- Clear roles and deadlines. Less confusion, more progress.
- Centralized feedback. One place for comments beats a dozen email threads.
- Limited editors. Too many cooks spoil the survey.
What doesn’t
- Ignoring plan limits. If you’re not on a Team Plan, collaboration is pretty basic.
- Letting everyone edit. You’ll spend more time fixing messes than making progress.
- Relying on versioning. It’s not Google Docs—back up important versions manually.
What to ignore
- Over-customizing permissions. Keep it simple. Most teams just need Edit, Comment, or View.
- Trying to use SurveyMonkey as a chat tool. It’s not Slack. Keep real discussions elsewhere.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Building surveys as a team is never seamless, but you can avoid most headaches by setting ground rules, using SurveyMonkey’s sharing and commenting features smartly, and not overcomplicating things. Get your first version out, test it, and don’t be afraid to make changes. The best surveys are the ones that actually get used, not the ones that spend weeks in “final_final_v3” purgatory.