Distinguishing outputs from outcomes |
Steps to take when you absolutely must improve project and solution delivery by darrin devereaux @ecgstudio

With time, budgets and scalability at the center of most projects, business leaders need a shared-version of how the lifecycle works before launching into process improvement. Here's what to do when you absolutely must improve workflow delivery.

Start with the big picture view of the workflow showing sequential requirements, process drivers, decision points, outcomes and impacts - instantly illuminates and elevates improvement opportunities. It makes it easy for teams to see when, where and how they participate in the overall process and understand what's expected of them at each stage. It also illustrates strategic, operational and tactical dependencies.

A well-crafted, end-to-end workflow helps business leaders:

Objectively question:
• Which outcome is most important to deliver (and why)
• How can teams can impact a driver and what resources they need
• What effect on each of the other outcomes will an action have
• How can teams measure the impact of an outcome

Confidently illustrate:
• Which critical process drives value
• Who owns the process, and the process drivers
• What pushes (or pulls) the process from one phase to the next
• How (which) outcomes best work together to deliver objectives
• When (where) bottlenecks are occurring
• Why the delivery lifecycle is performing as it is

Decisively communicate:
• What we do
• How we do it, and;
• Proof it's been done (or is doable)

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