Mental Model #5 In Action: Feedback Over Prediction
The Marshmallow Challenge
Scene: Kindergarten
In Rainbow Station Kindergarten, Teacher Lily divided her class into pairs and challenged all pairs to build as high a structure as they can with the materials on their respective table. On each pair’s table are the following: a marshmallow (which must go as the tip of the structure), twenty spaghetti sticks, one yard tape, and one yard thread.
The class was extremely excited. They all wanted to build a “Super Tall” building!
So, the kids tried to build…
On the first try, structures fell. They were all giggling… they were having fun!
They kept trying…again… and again… learning something else every time they tried. They were aware of what worked, what didn’t, and what could be done better next time they try.
After 15 minutes, “Time’s up!” exclaimed Teacher Lily.
“The structures are extremely impressive!” said Teacher Lily.
She said:
“See? Feedback is our friend. We don’t need to get it perfect on the first try.”
What this teaches:
Prediction = guessing the perfect plan BEFORE trying anything.
The kids thought of building “Super Tall” structure … but they did not know how to do it the first time. So, they had to iterate through it. Learning and improving — from feedback — in every iteration.
Feedback = trying a small version, seeing fast what happens, and improving
LPM Lesson:
In Lean Portfolio Management, we don’t rely on big guesses up-front. We build a small version, learn quickly, and improve using real feedback.
LPM learns from customers.
Mantra: “Try small, see fast, fix happy
To be continued…
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