Standard : Outcomes are the basis of success

Purpose and Strategic Importance

This standard ensures that teams define, track, and deliver success based on outcomes achieved, not features delivered. Outcomes provide clarity of purpose and drive decisions that create measurable value.

It supports our policies "Outcomes Over Outputs", "Discovery Before Delivery", and "Empowered Product Teams". Without this standard, success risks being measured by activity rather than impact.

Strategic Impact

  • Clearer alignment of delivery to strategic goals
  • Stronger customer and business value from investments
  • Greater accountability for product impact

Risks of Not Having This Standard

  • Activity mistaken for progress
  • Features built without solving problems
  • Lack of accountability for outcomes

CMMI Maturity Model

Level 1 – Initial

  • People & Culture: Teams focus on shipping features.
  • Process & Governance: No link between delivery and outcomes.
  • Technology & Tools: No tools for outcome definition or tracking.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Success measured by velocity and throughput.

Level 2 – Managed

  • People & Culture: Teams occasionally define desired outcomes.
  • Process & Governance: Outcomes discussed but not consistently linked to delivery.
  • Technology & Tools: Basic tracking of adoption or usage.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Limited outcome measures applied to a few initiatives.

Level 3 – Defined

  • People & Culture: Outcomes embedded into planning and delivery.
  • Process & Governance: Clear frameworks require outcome definitions before delivery.
  • Technology & Tools: Tools support outcome tracking alongside delivery metrics.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Outcomes measured systematically across initiatives.

Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed

  • People & Culture: Outcomes drive decisions and prioritisation.
  • Process & Governance: Governance reviews progress against defined outcomes.
  • Technology & Tools: Dashboards provide real-time outcome tracking.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Quantitative linkage between outcomes and strategy.

Level 5 – Optimising

  • People & Culture: Teams celebrate outcomes as primary measure of success.
  • Process & Governance: Continuous refinement of outcome-driven planning.
  • Technology & Tools: Predictive tools surface likelihood of outcome achievement.
  • Measurement & Metrics: Continuous improvement of outcome measures tied to value.

Key Measures

  • % of initiatives with clearly defined outcomes
  • % of outcomes achieved vs targeted
  • Stakeholder confidence in outcome-driven reporting
  • Ratio of features shipped to validated outcomes delivered