Many methodologies and frameworks for work emphasize the feedback loop. A feedback loop is something like: after going through one iteration, find what needs fixing through a retrospective, and do better next time.
The feedback loop is important in that it creates opportunities to improve. But we must not forget that the important part is the “feedback,” not the “loop.” Many organizations use feedback loops but often don’t see much effect. That’s because they focused more on the “loop” than on “improvement through feedback.”
Feedback is an evaluation of a hypothesis and the process of deciding the next hypothesis. That’s why feedback is a short moment, but the most important one. When we finish a loop, we feel a sense of accomplishment: “we worked hard today too.” So even when the feedback part isn’t done properly, it often gets glossed over. This is the biggest trap of the “feedback loop.”
If you focus on the essence, you have to put a lot of effort into exchanging feedback and forming new hypotheses. You have to create a suitable tension between each other and draw out appropriate feedback. I say it easily, but I feel it’s hard to do well. I want to become someone who can really do it properly, not just talk about it.
