Updates and evidence
How to record what you've learned, how verification works, and when to use measurements.
An Update is a piece of evidence attached to a Model item. It can be an observation, a metric you noticed, customer feedback, an experiment result, a document, research, or feedback from a meeting.
The point of an Update is not to repeat the plan. It’s to record something concrete that helps you judge whether a Goal, Constraint or Move is real, changing, or worth revisiting.
What makes a good Update
A useful Update says what was actually observed in plain language.
Good examples include:
- “Three customers said onboarding still feels manual.”
- “The pilot reduced rework, but only for one team.”
- “This week’s calls suggest pricing is not the main blocker.”
- “The document attached here sets out the dependency in detail.”
That kind of evidence is more valuable than simply restating intention, such as “we’re still working on this”.
Verification status
Each Update can carry a verification status, so people know how much weight to put on it:
- User reported — someone has said it happened, but no source is attached
- Source attached — there is a document, link or reference behind the claim
- Verified — the evidence has been checked and treated as dependable
- Disputed — the claim is in doubt or challenged
You can also note where the evidence came from and when it was observed.
Measurements: the one number you’re tracking
Separately from narrative Updates, a Model item can also carry one tracked measurement.
This is the quantified number you want to watch over time, with a clear target. You can also add:
- a baseline if you know the starting point
- a unit such as %, £ or a plain count
- a direction showing whether improvement means the number going up or down
- a cadence such as weekly or monthly
You then add fresh readings over time so the trend becomes visible.
Update vs. measurement
The difference is simple:
- an Update is a narrative observation
- a measurement is the one quantified number being tracked
You will often want both. The measurement tells you whether the number is moving. The Updates explain what may be causing that movement, what people are seeing, and why the result matters.
Ask AJ
“Log this customer feedback as an Update against that Constraint.”
“Set a measurement for this Move and record today’s reading.”
Read next: Viewing a summary
Related: Working with Moves · Updating the model