Frontier of Understanding (NCTs)
The Frontier of Understanding (NCTs)
"If you don't understand how to move a particular metric, then the right goal is to set a goal to increase your understanding not to move that metric." — Ravi Mehta
What It Is
Instead of blindly focusing on outcomes, teams should identify their "Frontier of Understanding." If the levers are unknown, the goal should be "Understanding Risk" (learning); if known, the goal can be "Execution Risk" (doing) or "Strategic Risk" (outcomes).
When To Use
- Quarterly planning when leadership demands metric increase
- Team has no clear hypothesis on how to achieve
- Avoiding "throwing spaghetti at the wall"
- Setting realistic, achievable goals
The Risk Levels
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