The PERFECT Feedback Loop
Feedback loops are your friend when it comes to establishing a culture of growth in your company. The perfect feedback loop is a model based on the tried and true scientific method and has been geared for growth when it comes to business. It is for anyone in an organization that has a problem and needs to find a solution to it. That means everyone can use it!
P.E.R.F.E.C.T
Problem – You observe something off. Maybe you see some strange outliers in reports. You know something doesn’t look right. Maybe you need to find the answer to a burning question. Perhaps you need to get measured improvement in a process? What other problems is this causing? Whatever the problem you have identified is, Be specific and understand it completely.
Explore – Gather data and visualize it. Make observations. Find existing knowledge through research. What are the facts that matter to the problem? Get peoples opinions and experiences through focus groups if it makes sense. Consider surveys that can quantify sentiment or opinion.
Reason – Use your reasoning to explain the problem. Come up with solutions based on what you know from exploration and research. What you come up with may be a no-brainer and can be put into place very easily. You might find that the best solution is already in place and that is fine too. Continue on the process when you need to get buy in from others.
Fact-Find – Test your solutions that you came up with. If you were wrong in your assumptions then a failure brings new information to light that can be built on. Thomas Edison famously said “I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”. This is where you deal with the burden of proof. Work hard to make sure you have tested enough to feel comfortable that your facts are accounted for with real data and successful tests.
Establish – Bring it all together and make your recommendations for action. At this point you should have some valuable knowledge that can change things for the better. This step will prepare you for all the concerns and objections that might otherwise bury your findings. Keep in mind that Initiatives get scrapped for all sorts of reasons such as politics, funding, risk, lack of buy-in just to name a few. Get your ducks in a row and be prepared for objections.
Communicate – Get the story out there. Tell everyone about the attempts, successes, failures and journey that got you the right answer. Stories have been a part of our evolution. Focus on your audience and connect with them. Get buy-in and support for your solution. Even if the solution does not get implemented, you are still bringing valuable information that may get others to make different decisions.
Trial – Hopefully you were able to get the support you needed and got your idea implemented. Now you want to use data to keep an eye on it. Is it working like you expected? Are there new unexpected problems? Are there new opportunities that have presented themselves? If things are looking good then great! if not, start the whole process over again with a new problem.
This model is amazing when it comes to growing your business with continual improvement. Give it a whirl on your next project or problem to bring the best solutions forward.