23

Learning from experience

Charged with information and feedback from our activity, we can reflect, learn and decide what we should do next. We have two options: to carry on with our current course of action, or change and adapt future activity. If the feedback received is good, we can continue on the path with the next priorities; if feedback is showing a lack of satisfaction, we may want to change our plans and explore alternative options. We can persevere, carry on as planned, or we can pivot and try something different instead.

Decisions may need to be made about whether to persevere with these activities or pivot and try something else instead. Tracking of performance metrics, comparing actuals versus estimates, helps to see what areas may be lacking in performance and why. Question whether you are the best person for the job, more or fewer resources are needed, or alternative people or skills. Would these actions result in lower costs or perhaps add more value? It may be that learning and skills development is needed to ensure that the activity improves going forward, or that distractions need to be dealt with to regain focus.

Reflecting on the results of previous work and the feedback we gain from releasing our work early helps to establish what is and is not working, and what has been learnt. We can then use the experience to drive decisions for the next cycles of work. During the next cycle, the requirements can be revisited by refactoring, re-estimating and reprioritising the future work previously defined to fit with the feedback and learning gained to optimise future performance.

Before beginning the next cycle of work we need to decide whether to stick to our path and persevere with our plans, or pivot and choose a new direction based on the feedback we have gathered.