The Way To Get Anything Done, Efficiently!
IPO framework could easily be the most important tool for ensuring that efforts translate into desirable outcomes. IPO stands for Input, Process, Output. The thing you want to achieve is the output. The problem is that most people do not concretely define what SUCCESS (or OUTPUT) means for them. In the lack of quantified definition of success, people have no way of knowing whether they are moving closer to the desired result they set out to achieve.
In order to benchmark our progress (and success), we should use the logical tool known as metric(s). Metric is a system of measurement that can be defined consensually by the team using it. For e.g. consider that you want to become fit. You and your trainer can consensually agree that your OUTPUT METRIC to become fit shall be defined by (a) Muscle Density (b) Body Weight and (c) Skin Moisture (to measure the improvement in skin texture). These three parameters shall then become the OUTPUT METRICS of your fitness journey. These metrics could be anything as long as the entire team consensually agrees that the quantification truly captures the desired results that you have set out to achieve.
Similarly, you and your gym trainer will metricize your INPUT — the effort that you put into your fitness journey. These could be things like (a) Time Spent At The Gym (b) Number Of Reps (c) Amount Of Weight Lifted.
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INPUT Metrics measure whether or not you are putting in the required EFFORT. Output Metrics measure whether or not you a getting closer the the desire RESULT.
Your INPUT may or may not result in the desired OUTPUT. Whether you will achieve the desired OUTPUT from your INPUT depends on the PROCESS. If you are not getting closer to the desired OUTPUT even after meeting all your INPUT Metrics, this means that there is an issue with the PROCESS you are trying to use the achieve the desired outcome.
In organizations, designing the PROCESS should typically be the responsibility of the managers in sync with the executors. Meeting INPUT Metrics should be the responsibility of the executor. Ownership of the OUTPUT metrics and refining the process should be the collective responsibility of the manager and the executor.