Definition
A feedback loop is a recurring path from action to signal to interpretation to adjustment.
What this term depends on
- Signal
- A result, behavior, exception, or friction point shows what is happening in reality.
- Interpretation
- People decide what the signal means and whether it changes the understanding of the work.
- Adjustment
- A decision, rule, workflow, or investment changes because the signal mattered.
Why it matters
Modernization needs evidence that changes behavior, not dashboards that confirm activity.
Watch out for
- Signals that are collected but never change decisions
- Lagging metrics that arrive after the cost is locked in
- Feedback that reaches a report but not the team doing the work
Use feedback loops when learning needs to become part of the operating system.
A loop is only real when the signal can change the next decision.