Are we overusing 'outcomes over output'?
TL;DR
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If you read that headline with a little disbelief, I understand, I'm known for my overuse of many phrases but one in particular that I totally stole from many product leaders who probably stole it from many other great leaders in turn...
'Outcomes over output'.
Outcomes are still bejewelled
In all seriousness, of course, there is a reason that folks like us, who love building products, adore that phrase. It's m?u?s?i?c? (Taylor's new album) to our ears when we hear it because it is a glimmer of sanity in the darkness of a feature factory.
To label all software companies as potential feature factories is a little uncouth of me I'll admit. There are always outliers, exceptions, and those who know how to bend and even break the rules and still succeed. So what sets them apart? Is it just luck or good timing? A huge runway? deep pockets for good talent? I think we all know the general answer to this, of course it's never just one thing, it's a combination of so many things and then some.
Outcomes like midnight rain
So why then, do we keep blindly repeating 'outcomes over output', to each other? I genuinely believe we are well-intentioned in doing so. We want our collaborators to know that, we're focused on the things that matter too! We know what a short and long-term tradeoff means, we want product market fit too you know! Sorry, I may have been carried away by a little scoping session trauma there. My comic relief aside, at the crux of this outcome-focused overcorrection; is nothing, yes, I mean it, there is nothing. Nothing of substance, nothing that is comprehensible, which means those who nodded in agreement when asked if they understood, either genuinely felt they understood, didn't understand but lied or
There's always another Quarter's Outcome (a fable)
blow straight past this if you're not into satire.
"Of course, there will be something!" it was a hopeful comment from one of the team on the way to the first part of the annual planning session.
"It's probably in the form of a goal, or a southern cross or something isn't that a product measure thing?" someone added a few hours into the offsite day.
"Hey, I've heard about that too, they do it at uhm, what that's sydne...."
"Jira" a team member passing by the door tosses the answer casually. It's an open-door culture, plus the meeting rooms don't have doors anyway.
"All right, I don't mind, let's call it a North Star, sure, so what's our North Star?"
They all look up at the screen together and get to work on aligning on their more meaningful North Star.
Several hours, coffees, mentos bags and circling backs later and the team had done it this time, they nailed it together, and they were almost too aligned in the end.
Finally, the group watched as their teammate placed the final post-it on the wall
'Increase efficiencies by improving customer support and conversion."
It's perfect", someone sighed and rocked slowly backward in their chair.
"It's short, simple and..." someone else added, as they took one last mouthful of their almost empty afternoon coffee "....most of all, it captures everyone's strategic plan! Right team?"
They all cheered and agreed that they should order a stone carving of the outcome at once! They had a feeling, this outcome was going to be the one they delivered!
Ends.
If you feel like this article has slowly digressed into a satirical fable, you would be right, but if you still took the time to read it you may have also felt like it wasn't all satirial after all and you potentially felt a little twinge in your tummy reading that outcome the fictitious team came up with, because I'm sure you've helped create one just like it! I know I have, far too many times, post-it notes and all.
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The (assumption) Archer
Once I realised what was going on, it was hard to unsee it, a little like the arrow in the fedex logo. To explain it generally, I was noticing just how assumptive most people are in their comprehension. I'm not the first person and certainly not the first product person to pull on this comprehension threat. Whether you're a PM, a CSM, or not remotely interested in being an M at all, there is a universal experience we all share and that is assuming we understand something when we don't.
On the contrary, if we didn't make a few assumptions in our day, I think we would struggle to keep pace with the world around us. I'm certainly not trying to convince you to slam on the metaphorical breaks, or even the literal ones when you come across something you don't fully comprehend. I suppose if we stick with the driving analogy, what I am trying to convince you to do, is apply slow steady pressure to your brakes or maintain a slower speed.
Much like the FedEx logo I mentioned earlier in this article, the thing that was causing the most impact was doing so because it didn't exist! Of course in the case of the FedEx logo, it's a wonderful use of negative space. When it comes to a lack of comprehension in a team, it's a wonderfully efficient way to kill outcome alignment.
You're on your own (outcome) kid
Any sensible (and slightly impatient) person would be off and running by now and I would be too, clearly, I'm not peddling some enormous revelation, and even if that were so, shouldn't I have at least one huge unicorn on my resume? Well in truth, I did run off, at this point, I ran off in the direction of 'This way to just quickly and clearly define the outcome again for everyone'.
That was 7 years ago.
Question..."
On this occasion, I think it is safe for you to assume that it wasn't that easy. Simple? Yes, it is rather simple to comprehend something, once you know how to. You might be slightly caught on my use of both simple and easy, and my use of the two words as if they don't mean the same thing. In this context, they don't.
One of the routines that I formed very young was looking up the etymology of a word**. Now, I know this sounds strange, so go and read the other article if you would like, but to move forward in this article, you don't need to understand why I developed the routine, just that I did and it helped a lot!
So although it was 7 years ago, and I don't have a unicorn to my name because as we have established, it's not easy. So why is it simple?
If in doubt, find out!
Simple
/?s?mpl/
Origin
Middle English: from Old French, from Latin simplus . The noun sense (mid 16th century) originally referred to a medicine made from one constituent, especially from one plant.
Easy /?i?zi/
Origin
Middle English (also in the sense ‘comfortable, tranquil’): from Old French aisie, past participle of aisier ‘put at ease, facilitate’ (see ease).
I'll give you origin too just for fun.
Origin /??r?d?(?)n/
Origin
early 16th century: from French origine, from Latin origo, origin-, from oriri ‘to rise’.
When you compare the two like that, you can see in context, they do mean two entirely different things. So why am I defining Outcome alignment as simple, well, that's up to you to find out.
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Footnotes
**Yes I looked up the etymology of the word etymology I wasn't born yesterday, derr, and yes it is just a symbol of a snake eating its own tale (this may have also helped with my love of the Roman Empire but let's not get into Dad jokes today).