Glossary

Terminology Definitions


Feedback Loops

Feedback Loop: The feedback that occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs in a chain of cause-and-effect that form a loop.

BML: Build, Measure, Learn. A popular lean iterative development and feedback process. It can be broken down into the following sequence:

  1. Building a feature or product. Usually only a small slice is done at first as an M.V.P.(Minimal Viable Product).

  2. Measure consumer feedback and utilization metrics.

  3. Learn from the feedback and metrics to better respond to emerging consumer wants and needs.

OODA: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Decision-making process developed by the US Air Force to improve dynamic operational decision making.

PDSA(PDCA): Plan, Do, Study, Act. Feedback loop process defined by William Edwards Demming and popularized in lean manufacturing. Formerly known as the PDCA loop where the C stood for “Check”, Demming later changed this to S for “Study” as he noticed companies over-emphasized “Checking” for failures but not understanding why they happened and learning from them.

Engineering/Continuous Delivery

Change Failure Rate: How often you change something and introduce a problem.

Human Factors/Design

Cognitive Load: The total amount of mental effort required to complete a task involving the processing of information. Essentially when cognitive load increases, the likelihood of errors and interferences with the task at hand increases dramatically.