I recently read an insightful article called by Marty Cagan and Felipe Castro on shifting from “outputs” (the features we build) to “outcomes” (the value we create). It’s a concept that resonates deeply with Project Management Professional (PMP) principles, especially those taught by PMI.org.
Here is a correlation of the article’s main points alongside core PMP practices:
1. Defining Clear Problems and Goals
– Article Insight: Vague goals lead to “feature factories” that deliver outputs without verifying real impact.
– PMP Perspective: The project Charter should specify tangible objectives and success metrics. Defining the problem clearly helps ensure each deliverable ties back to a genuine need.
– My experience: In many cases, underperforming or languishing projects can be revitalized by returning to the core purpose and the outcomes the business truly needs. By taking an honest look at where the project stands now and aligning on the results we want at completion, organizations can decide whether to refocus and continue, reset the approach, or end the effort altogether.
2. Establishing Meaningful Measures of Success
– Article Insight: Not all KPIs matter. Find the few that truly reflect desired user or business behaviors.
– PMP Perspective: Monitoring & Controlling goes beyond schedule and budget; it verifies that metrics align with the project’s intended value, enabling data-driven adjustments.
– Field experience: Rather than getting caught up in buzzwords or workshops to redefine KPI’s or OKR’s, we can simplify the conversation by consistently evaluating whether our project’s progress aligns with its original objectives. This helps us stay honest about whether our completed work, and the tasks ahead, still serve the outcomes we intended. If new insights arise, we can adapt accordingly! From a PMP perspective, this continual check is essentially Quality Management in real-time, ensuring every effort contributes to the project’s true value proposition.
3. Building an Intentional Strategy
– Article Insight: Simply listing features doesn’t guarantee outcomes; a product strategy must guide the “why” behind each choice.
– PMP Perspective: Integration Management weaves scope, risk, and stakeholder requirements into a coherent roadmap. Strategy ensures each task or deliverable supports broader organizational objectives.
– Field experience: When leadership lacks a clear and unified business strategy, teams inevitably default to delivering work shaped by individual biases—whether intentional or not. A vague or inconsistent strategy can set the entire organization (investors, employees, and clients) on a path to long-term friction, at best. Tools like a Requirements Traceability Matrix can help ensure every effort maps back to that unified strategy. By regularly reviewing and directing intentional effort, leadership can effectively Manage Change and keep the organization aligned on its true strategic objectives.
4. Instrumenting for Real-Time Feedback
– Article Insight: Ongoing telemetry helps teams pivot quickly if outcomes fall short.
– PMP Perspective: Frequent stakeholder communication and adaptive methods (Agile) let PMs respond to new data and maintain alignment with goals. Real-time analytics is the backbone of fact-based, informed decision-making.
– Field experience: In reality, reporting and managing status updates can feel like two separate worlds. Project managers often expend significant effort drafting comprehensive weekly updates—only to watch them glossed over by leaders celebrating superficial wins. This disconnect stems from a broader lack of accountability at the leadership level. We owe it to our stakeholders (and our teams) to provide an honest, data-driven view of the work, and to address problems immediately when outcomes and progress deviate from plan.
5. Fostering Accountability and Leadership Support
– Article Insight: Cultural change, driven by leaders, is key to shifting from output-based thinking to outcome-driven cultures.
– PMP Perspective: Governance and Change Management become essential: leaders must champion a results-oriented mindset to embed accountability at every level.
– Field experience: Accountability starts at the top! When leaders consistently model results-oriented behavior and emphasize outcomes over outputs, teams naturally align more effectively. Conversely, if leadership is not unified on organizational outcomes, even the strongest product or project management methodologies will struggle, resulting in confusion and wasted efforts. A transparent and supportive leadership culture is crucial for keeping everyone focused on meaningful impact and ensuring that each milestone genuinely advances the organization toward its objectives.
Key Takeaway: The article’s message dovetails nicely with PMP principles! Whether you’re delivering a software product or leading a strategic project, the goal remains the same: solve the real problems, track your metrics diligently, and continuously align with the overarching strategy and organizational vision. By marrying the article’s focus on outcomes with PMI’s structure for planning, executing, and measuring success, teams can be confident they’re delivering genuine value—not just another “cool feature.”