Laws of Software Engineering · Principle
Principle
Feedback Loops
Every system improves at the rate of its slowest feedback loop. Shorten the loops between action and outcome.
How to use it. When something is going wrong, look for the missing or delayed feedback. Tests that run overnight delay learning by a day. Customer signals that take a quarter to surface produce a quarter of waste. Most of the cards in this index give feedback-loop advice in different forms.
How it gets misused. Treated as "more feedback is better feedback". A loop that fires constantly with noise is worse than no loop at all. The fix is a clear signal, the right frequency, and the right loop for the question. Speed alone is not enough.
Related
- Pattern Build-Measure-Learn Build the smallest thing that tests your idea. Measure what happens. Learn what to do next.
- Framework Improvement Kata A four-step pattern for getting better at anything. Understand the direction. Grasp the current condition. Set the next target condition. Run experiments toward it.
- Framework The Three Ways A way of seeing DevOps as a whole. Optimise flow from idea to production. Amplify feedback from production back to development. Build a culture of continuous experimentation and learning.
Clusters
- The Improvement cluster - How systems get better over time.