Outcomes over outputs

Product teams should focus on producing outcomes instead of outputs. Outcome means achieving a business result. Output means releasing a feature.

Output is just means to an end. When we work on something, the goal is to create some kind of outcome: typically solve a problem for a customer or the business (or, ideally, both at the same time).

Creating a mockup is output. Shipping a feature is output. But when a customer's problem is solved, that's outcome.

Teams need to focus on the outcome because there may be several ways of achieving it. Especially when they hear feedback that "users need functionality X": People tend to speak about problems in terms of solutions. By focusing on the outcome, the team can come up with a better solution that the customer couldn't even imagine possible.

Marty Cagan puts it nicely: "Good teams celebrate when they achieve a significant impact to the business results. Bad teams celebrate when they release something."

Tags: product management product design

Sources: – Cagan – Inspired – Torres – Continuous Discovery Habits –