Digital solution development requires the inputs of multiple teams, functionalities, codes, and technologies to realize the end-product. By its very nature, it presents multiple occasions for things to go wrong or perform sub-optimally. Here are just some examples where the use or not of a feedback loop is concerned:

1. No feedback loop within at least one phase of the solution development. Without a feedback loop there’s no iteration during the understand and requirement-gathering phase, the design phase, product development, testing or validation. Product teams who base their decisions on internal understanding of requirements without considering the end users risk a final solution that does not respond to the needs and expectations of this group.
2. Disconnect between user validation and user requirement. Consumer teams responsible for validation of the solution are not always those who defined the initial requirements. Product development can be a long process and changes to team structure where stakeholders move in and out during the development phase often happen and can threaten the overall efficiency of development and validation.
3. Solution requirement definition does not include criteria for product validation. The team has defined the ‘what’ of the solution, but not how to test and validate that product. Requirement gathering is lengthy and difficult, requiring knowledge and domain-specific understanding. However, it is also key to complete requirement phase with specifications on the validation side. Without any specification, testing teams won’t have a clear framework against which to evaluate the final solution.
4. Lack of connection between teams through the entire solution development cycle. Teams can be dispersed in various places around the globe, with different work hours and culture, and competing objectives which can distract focus from the common objective. This situation occurs when communication between team leaders is irregular or opaque, and when individual team interests are put ahead of global cooperation and broader objectives.

Solutions to consider to foster a productive feedback loop

1. Each Team Lead takes ownership of monitoring internal work and reporting coherent updates of their team’s activity in order to foster internal feedback and take appropriate actions.
2. Global teams take responsibility for closing the gap between requirement definition and solution validation phases. When the project is drawn out and/or key stakeholders are replaced, iterating around requirement definition and validation criteria is highly recommended.
3. Empower technical and domain experts and key stakeholders to participate in refinement of requirements with an eye on the defined validation criteria. As the solution is developed, it is essential to check, refine, and adjust the requirements and validation criteria to ensure ongoing development and validation remains in alignment with users’ needs, and accounts for evolutions of needs and expectations over time.
4. Empower team leads to exchange feedback aligned with the common objective while respecting the differing needs and cultures of the various teams involved in the digital solution development. Sharing feedback fosters a cooperative spirit in the pursuit of a common goal, and ensuring learning, progress and growth within the global team will enable better collaboration. Regular touchpoints which center around the global objectives will ensure effective communication, understanding of respective interests and challenges, leading to improved performance.

As leaders, we need to establish and maintain the feedback loop to monitor and resolve misunderstandings, to iterate around users’ evolving needs, and to communicate team effort and progress. More specifically, our role is to assemble the technical and domain experts needed to realize the software solution, and leverage their knowledge such that the global team can take relevant decisions aligned with users’ needs and technical development capabilities. Above all, leaders should foster the collaborative spirit that makes the various development phases a worthwhile journey for all team members, building team pride which delivers better, more valuable solutions for end users.