Product Management playbook/Module 1 · Foundations

Day 03 / 100 · Foundations · Outputs vs outcomes

Shipped isn’t success.

Outputs are what the team produces. Outcomes are what changes for customers because of it. Only one of them pays the bills.

Outputs

What We Make

  • Features and releases
  • Story points and velocity
  • Tickets closed
  • “It shipped on time”

Outcomes

What Changes

  • Customers behave differently
  • People stay, adopt, come back
  • Fewer support calls, less friction
  • Revenue or cost actually moves

Output

We shipped the self-service portal.

OUTCOME

Customers change their own call routing instead of phoning support.

IMPACT

Support load drops, and the team gets time back for harder work.

Ship less. Change more.