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Principle

23. Feedback

a. Introduce feedback
b. If feedback already exists, reverse it

  • Principle Description:  Return a system output back into the system as an input in order to improve control of the output.

  • Hints on Usage:  Any change in a system or situation provides information that can potentially be used to take corrective action.

  • Consider any useful or harmful change as a source of information or feedback.  If feedback is already being used, look for ways to change its amplitude. Also look for ways the current feedback influences the system or situation.


Examples:
  • Electronic components can sense (measure/detect) system instability and create a feedback signal that compensates for the instability.

  • A thermostat monitors changes in temperature.  When temperatures change, a switching mechanism sends a signal to a heating or air conditioning system to make corrections to a room’s temperature.

  • Suggestion systems and employee surveys provide information that can be used to provide feedback to managers who can then correct the way business is conducted.

  • In the world of quality enhancement, control charts are used to document changes in dimensions or parameters.  The documentation shows trends that inform an operator that the process is moving toward being out of control.  This information provides feedback so that the operator can take corrective action.

  • Tests for students of all ages are intended to provide feedback on what a student has learned — although some would argue that the test provides feedback on a student’s ability to take the test.  In either case, the information can be used as feedback for the development of the appropriate corrective action.

  • There is a saying that ‘metrics define behavior’, which means if the behavior we expect is not being realized, the metrics may be wrong.  In this case, the corrective action would be to change the metrics.

  • In the game of poker, professional gamblers read other players to determine how to bet.  The physical indications, referred to as a ‘tell’, provide information on whether the hand is good or bad.  A tell is feedback that professionals use to their competitive advantage.

  • When pumping gas, the nozzle determines how full the tank is by sensing pressure change, which is feedback that occurs as the result tank shape and fill-tube shapes.  This feedback determines when to stop the flow of gas.

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