By Glue Team

What Is an Engineering Feedback Loop?

An engineering feedback loop connects code changes to outcomes, allowing engineers to learn and improve.

The Short Loop

The short feedback loop is code -> tests -> feedback.

• Write code
• Run tests
• Get immediate feedback on whether code works

Most teams have this. It's essential.

The Long Loop

The long feedback loop is code -> deployment -> metrics -> learning.

• Code is deployed
• Users interact with it
• Metrics change (or don't)
• Engineers learn what worked and what didn't

Most teams don't have this. But they should.

Why It Matters

Without the long feedback loop, engineering is disconnected from product impact.

• Engineers don't know if their features matter
• PMs don't know if solutions work
• Decisions are made without data

Closing the Loop

1. Define metrics: What matters for this feature?
2. Measure baseline: What was the state before?
3. Ship: Deploy the feature
4. Monitor: Track the metric
5. Learn: Did it improve? Why or why not?
6. Iterate: Use learnings to improve next version

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who owns the feedback loop? A: Both PMs and engineers. PMs define what to measure. Engineers implement. Together, they interpret learnings.

Q: What if metrics don't improve? A: That's the most important feedback. Don't ship more. Investigate why it didn't work and iterate.