As outcomes can be nonlinear and, more importantly, can often result in unintended and unwanted consequences, feedback loops across the enterprise need to be as short as possible. Feedback is much more valuable when it is timely. A simple example is of a software defect. The direct and indirect costs of the defect are much lower if the defect is detected closer to when the code is written, versus if the defect is found when the code is in production.

Feedback loops should be made shorter and stronger at all levels including between team members, between teams, between teams and customers, teams and leadership, team and code, and so on. It is not only important to act appropriately based on feedback but also to learn from it by drawing out patterns based on the received information.

Feedback should be sought actively rather than waiting for the concerned entity to provide the feedback. It is often wrongly assumed that when no feedback is received, everything is fine. This is a truly wrong assumption to make. If we examine our own experiences as customers, how often have we taken the time and effort to provide feedback, whether positive or negative, when it has not been solicited?

It is worth calling out that a CAS is able to deal with change effectively not only due to short feedback loops but also because it is structured in a way which enables the agents to collect and respond to feedback effectively.