Blog 2: Why Outcomes?
“Outcome focused solutions.”
What does this mean?
What about using the ‘who, what, when, where, why, and how’ construct?
Outcomes are a useful way to focus a conversation with a customer on what they are really trying to accomplish with the resources available and mandates imposed (or will be requested). They are a future-looking description of the ‘who’, ‘what’ and ‘when’. Outcomes should include big-picture, strategic end goals and be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound).
For example, a customer’s outcome might be:
As the mission lead for ‘system x’, the Combat Support Agency will deliver an integrated ‘capability y’ by the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 to inform investment decision making within the Department.
By 2026, Service Z will deliver an integrated, decision-quality dashboard to the Combatant Command.
Service H will modernize the protection of the communications and security infrastructure by the end of FY2024.
Next, the ‘where, why, and how’…
The ‘why’ may be multi-faceted. Could be traceable to a policy change, or a mandate by Congress, or complaints about the age of a system (or that the system cannot fulfill an emerging need). ‘Why’ is important and must be understood for the outcome to be successfully designed and executed.
The ‘where’ can be based on priority or need, or specific locations for mission execution.
Finally, ‘how’ is a next step in understanding the decisions necessary (and by whom) and what will inform those decisions. Outcomes-decisions-artifacts are frequently not 1:1:1. A decision may inform multiple correlated outcomes. A mission-level outcome may have sub-outcomes to focus different teams on individual pieces that will be integrated over time. Remember to keep an eye on SMART.
What’s next?
Think through, “what outcome(s) are we trying to achieve?”
What timeframe is required?
What measurement stick are we using and who’s keeping track? How often will the team be measured? What form does the measurement take?
What decisions inform the success of this outcome, and who makes those decisions? Write them down and agree with the decision maker that they are appropriate and correct.
What informs these decisions? What data, in what format, presented to whom?
Who needs to be involved in the decision-making process.
Outcomes are but one step in a larger conversation about the mission, vision, goals, requirements, and resources within an organization. Often, an organization has multiple outcomes in process, though they are not necessarily well-documented. Engagement with senior leadership on their outcomes helps to align resources toward the greatest need. Outcomes should also be revisited periodically to ensure applied resources are working on the right things.
Next blog topic: What is Mission Engineering (ME)?