Feedback Loops That Keep Projects on Track

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍. 𝑪𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑴𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕. Sound familiar? A team closed a major deal. Leadership congratulated them. Everyone moved on to the next quarter. No one asked: “What made this work? What would we do differently?” Three months later, they tried to replicate the success — couldn’t. Because no one had captured what actually drove the win. McKinsey found that organizations with structured learning processes are 2.5× more likely to sustain performance, yet most skip the debrief and wonder why progress doesn’t stick. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’t 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 — 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒑 High-performing teams don’t just execute. They learn, capture, and apply. 1. Execute → Deliver the outcome 2. Reflect → Ask: What worked (and why)? What didn’t (facts, not blame)? What will we do differently next time? 3. Capture → Store lessons where people actually use them (not slides no one opens) 4. Apply → Embed learnings into the next cycle Most teams stop at Step 1. The best close the loop. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒉𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 Improvement isn’t a project. It’s a practice. Daily: 5-min huddles → “What’s working? What’s stuck?” Weekly: 15-min retros → “What did we learn this week?” Quarterly: Strategic debriefs → “What patterns are emerging?” If reflection only happens when things go wrong, you’re learning too late. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 ❌ Celebrating wins without decoding success ❌ Repeating mistakes because no one reflected ❌ Treating improvement as a one-off project ❌ No feedback loops — teams flying blind 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐃𝐨: ✓ Debrief every outcome — success and failure ✓ Make reflection part of weekly rhythm ✓ Capture insights in living systems, not cluttered docs ✓ Apply relentlessly 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉: If you’re not getting better, you’re getting beaten. The fastest teams aren’t the busiest — they’re the most reflective. Reflect: → When did you last debrief a success to understand what made it work? → Do you have a weekly rhythm for learning — or only during crises? 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯’t 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. P.S. To build this discipline into your leadership rhythm → 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒅𝒈𝒆 https://lnkd.in/gi-u8ndJ #TheInnerEdge #ContinuousImprovement #ExecutionExcellence #LeadershipRhythm #StrategicLeadership

Learning doesn’t happen in reports; it happens in loops. On Monday, we talked about how learning often gets lost when our feedback loops are broken. But what do strong feedback loops actually look like in practice? When data and insights travel upward, downward, and across the system, teams start to adapt faster, engage deeper, and make smarter decisions. Here are the three loops that keep your MEL system alive ⬆️Upward Feedback Loops – From Field to Leadership This is how learning travels from the field to inform strategic and funding decisions. Example: Field officers summarize insights from community meetings into short learning briefs. These briefs are shared in quarterly management reviews to inform what gets scaled, paused, or redesigned. Why it matters: Without upward loops, decision-makers fly blind and data collectors feel unheard. ⬇️Downward Feedback Loops – From Leadership to Communities This is how learning returns to those who shared the data in the first place. Example: A project shares simplified dashboards in community meetings to show progress, discuss gaps, and co-create next steps. Why it matters: Closing the loop builds trust, accountability, and stronger collaboration. ↔️Horizontal Feedback Loops – Across Teams and Partners This is how learning moves sideways, peer-to-peer, country-to-country, or between partners. Example: Teams from different regions host “learning exchanges” to compare what’s working in similar interventions. Why it matters: Horizontal loops turn learning into a shared asset rather than a siloed report. When all three loops are intentional, learning stops being an event and becomes a culture. PS: Which loop is strongest in your MEL system, and which one tends to break down?

𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀, 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. In service design and journey management, we talk a lot about touchpoints, channels, and experiences. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: - No journey gets better without feedback. - No system evolves without learning loops. A feedback loop is the engine that turns friction into insight, and insight into action. In great systems, feedback loops are: 1. 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 – Customers, brokers, employees can see the impact of their feedback 2. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 – Data isn’t stuck in a quarterly report, it’s now 3. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 – It doesn’t just inform, it drives change 4. 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 – People know they’ve been heard 𝗜𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻:  🚫 Static maps and surveys nobody reads  🚫 Call logs without analysis  🚫 Dashboards with no ownership  🚫 “That’s just how the process works” 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁: - If a customer hits the same billing error twice, that’s not bad luck, it’s a broken loop. - If frontline staff keep hacks and workarounds to themselves, that’s a missed loop. - If leadership only hears what’s escalated, that’s a distorted loop. 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆? ✅ Embed feedback into your journeys—not after them ✅ Make insights operational, not optional ✅ Connect customer data to employee experience ✅ Design loops at every level—from micro-interactions to org-wide transformation 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺. #ServiceDesign #OrganizationalDesign #BusinessDesign #SystemsDesign #Research

Day 17/30 of the #30daysofPPMWithYonas The #1 PM Skill - Communications Management They say a Project Manager's world revolves around the Triple Constraint: Scope, Cost, and Schedule. But what is the invisible force that holds this entire triangle together? What is the single skill that, if mastered, makes managing scope, cost, and schedule possible? Project Communications Management. This isn't just about sending emails and leading status meetings. This is the strategic discipline of ensuring the right people get the correct information at the right time and in the proper format. It’s the engine of stakeholder alignment and the ultimate tool for expectation management. A project plan can be flawless on paper, but without effective communication, it's just a document. The Three-Part Process for Communications Mastery: 1. Plan Communications Management: This is your communications strategy. Before the project begins, you ask the critical questions: a. Who are my stakeholders? b. What do they need to know? c. When do they need to know it? d. How will I deliver that information (a detailed report? a quick Slack message?). This planning creates your "single source of truth" and prevents information overload or, worse, an information vacuum. 2. Manage Communications: This is the execution of creating, collecting, distributing, and storing project information. It’s the act of putting your plan into motion: facilitating meetings, publishing status reports, managing the project wiki, and answering stakeholder queries. Consistency and clarity here build trust and keep the project momentum going. 3. Monitor Communications: This is the feedback loop. Are your communications working? Is the message being understood? Are stakeholder needs being met? This involves checking in, asking for feedback, and adjusting your approach. Maybe the C-suite doesn't need a weekly 10-page report; maybe a 5-minute executive dashboard is what they truly need. You only discover this by monitoring. The One Stat That Says It All: Studies and the PMI itself have long stated that project managers spend up to 90% of their time communicating. Let that sink in. Only 10% is spent on "managing" in the traditional sense; the rest is all about connecting, informing, persuading, and listening. This is why Communications Management isn't a "soft skill," it's a fundamental competency. A single miscommunication about a deadline, a budget approval, or a scope change can create ripples that derail the entire project, costing time, money, and credibility. Mastering communications is how you turn a group of individuals into an aligned team. It’s how you transform ambiguity into clarity and resistance into buy-in.

Feedback loops determine how fast organizations improve Improvement speed is rarely limited by talent. It is limited by feedback quality and timing. Research shows that organizations with tight, accurate feedback loops correct faster, make fewer repeated mistakes, and adapt more effectively than those relying on periodic reviews or delayed reporting. Slow feedback equals slow learning. What research shows Studies in organizational learning and performance management indicate that rapid feedback significantly improves accuracy and execution. Delayed or indirect feedback weakens cause-and-effect understanding, making it harder to know what actually worked. Research also shows that feedback loses effectiveness as time passes. The longer the gap between action and feedback, the lower the learning value. Study-based situations Situation 1: Product development Research found that teams receiving immediate user feedback iterated more effectively and avoided costly late-stage changes. Teams relying on quarterly reviews accumulated errors. Situation 2: Performance management Studies on employee performance show that real-time feedback improved outcomes more than annual or semiannual reviews. Frequent, specific feedback reduced repeated mistakes. Situation 3: Strategic execution Research on execution systems shows that organizations reviewing leading indicators weekly corrected course earlier than those reviewing lagging indicators monthly. How effective leaders strengthen feedback loops They shorten time between action and review They focus feedback on specific behaviors and metrics They prioritize leading indicators They remove intermediaries that distort information Organizations do not improve by intention. They improve by feedback.

Years ago, when we shipped one of our first containers of shoes overseas, I thought we had everything figured out. Everything looked great on paper. Only after our partner received the container did the feedback not go so well. It’s easy for leaders to lean into dashboards and what I call EKG reports with lots of lines showing performance. But that alone isn’t essential. So are rapid feedback cycles for fast decision-to-action timelines. When our partner received the shipment, everything was right, with solid packaging and tight systems. Still, our partners told us that packaging wasn’t working due to the country’s humidity, and the unloading conditions were much harsher. I knew they wanted to continue to work with us, and they weren’t complaining. They were informing. I didn’t defend the system, I simply turned to our team and said since they’re the experts, so listen and adapt to our partner needs. Within a week, the team redesigned how shoes were sorted and packed, and soon it became the global standard for us. Execution doesn’t happen in a boardroom. It happens in real places, with real people who see what leaders miss. Here’s what I learned about a fast feedback loop: ✅ Listen early and often. Feedback loops can’t wait for scheduled meetings. Stay tuned in. ✅ Empower your team. When a challenge arises, allow your team to speak up and do the work. ✅ Adjust rapidly. A strong feedback loop allows you to get critical feedback. Use it to innovate and execute faster. Listening at all times. Feedback loops are essential—make sure you become a master. Always: listen, listen, listen. It’ll allow you to fix problems, adjust faster, and scale your business.

I’ll be sharing a few lessons from challenges we’ve faced at Cafeto and how we’ve addressed them. On this occasion, I want to talk about our experience adopting PHVA (Plan Do Check Act) in our Agile development process. Because we primarily build for customers, service quality and predictability matter a lot, so optimizing how we work is core to delivering better outcomes. As we adopted PHVA, our process became lighter, clearer, and more consistent across projects, helping teams move faster while improving quality. For small and mid size projects, this structure has been especially effective because planning stays lightweight while design and QA get dedicated runway. We typically run two week sprints with UX and Architecture one sprint ahead and QA in a parallel hardening sprint. We also noticed a common anti pattern where planning defaults to coding, leaving design and testing squeezed. We address this by giving each phase its own lane and cadence: Plan (Design first): Plan is not a coding meeting. We emphasize design and discovery, user flows, states, accessibility, API contracts, and clear acceptance criteria. UX and architecture run one sprint ahead, so delivery starts with clarity. For small and mid projects, we keep slices to about 1 to 2 weeks of effort and limit WIP. Do (Build and Reviews): Implement the slice incrementally with feature flags as guardrails, conduct code reviews as part of the work, pair on complex pieces, keep PRs small, write test cases, and maintain steady flow. Check (Validate and Test): Ensure the increment is properly validated with testing suites for functional and non functional checks such as performance, security, and accessibility. QA works a parallel sprint, hardening the increment to be delivered and preparing test assets for what is next. Act (User Acceptance): Secure customer blessing on the delivered increment through UAT. Capture feedback, update the backlog, and roll learnings into the next Plan phase. Working this way has meant fewer handoffs, cleaner releases, and faster feedback loops, which adds up to better results for customers. Not perfection, just steady improvements that compound every sprint. On larger programs, we scale the same loop across multiple teams, and the fundamentals do not change. #Agile #DevOps #QA #UX #ContinuousImprovement #PHVA #PDCA #Cafeto #Product #Delivery #CustomerExperience #Nearshoring

Most embedded teams talk about CI/CD pipelines. That’s the obvious part. But almost no one talks about the feedback pipeline. You see, a company’s relationship with its customers isn’t just about delivering raw value. We also need to deliver the *right* value. That’s why we need to create a tight Value Feedback Loop between the company and customers. How? By using a feedback pipeline. Without a feedback pipeline, teams move fast in the wrong direction. They ship features, but not improvements. They measure output, but not outcome. So, maybe CI/CD should actually be CI/CD/CF: Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, Continuous Feedback. That last part closes the loop. It connects what we build to how customers experience it. It tells us what’s working (and what’s breaking) before the customers even submit the support tickets. That’s what observability really is. And it might be the most underrated practice in embedded systems today. How does your team build feedback into your development cycle?