Product Goals, Outcomes and Objectives

Listen, we all know that the English language is problematic. We have weird spellings (colonel, anyone?) and we have words that carry many meanings, not to mention gaps where the perfect word escapes us. One area I seem to bump into again and again with clients is the triple threat of goals, outcomes and objectives. Because of the way that corporate speak leaks into all areas of our lives, I am starting to wonder if these words have just blended together to mean the same thing — yet I know the importance of taking a stance on how they all come together.

HOT TAKE: I’m going to attempt to define and differentiate GOALS, OUTCOMES and OBJECTIVES.

@ me, internet. I’m ready.

Usually, when I ask people I work with to give me their definitions of these words, and how they are different from one another, they roll their eyes and scoff at me. I mean, they literally scoff. “SCOFF, Jen.” as in, “Duh, you idiot, you don’t even know what goals, outcomes and objectives are???” And then they spend 10 minutes stumbling all over the place with a convoluted set of rules and definitions that would make a Cricket umpire wince. 

Imagine what that’s doing to your product teams. Without a common understanding of these terms and how they relate to one another, precious cycle time is wasted trying to make sure that everyone’s on the same page and you don’t end up in a Princess Bride moment (“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”)

INCONCEIVABLE!

Defining the Terms

When I work with product teams, this is the framework I use: 

Goals:

Goals tell us what we are trying to achieve — the problem we solve for our business and our customers. They are specific, they are visionary, and they set the direction for our work. Often, goals are set at a leadership level, but not always. 

Outcomes:

Outcomes define what we are trying to achieve in reaching our goals. How would we know if we reached the stated goal? We would realize certain outcomes that are measurable. There may be common outcomes that multiple product teams align to, or outcomes specific to a single team or product group.

Fun trick — outcomes usually have a verb at the beginning of them:

• Increase sales

• Decrease packaging cost

• Shorten onboarding time

• Reduce error rate

Objectives:

Objectives are a way to say, "This is the work we're going to do to achieve the stated outcome."

An objective narrows the field on how a product COULD deliver an outcome and achieve a goal, and articulates what and how work will be completed in a clear time frame.

Let's Look at an Example

Sam owns a small gift shop in her small town, where she features local artists and craftspeople to help them sell their goods. The shop has become a destination for residents of neighboring states and is featured in several prominent Best-Of lists in her region. Recently, she's been fielding requests for sales from customers who live too far away to make the trip to her shop, and she's decided it's time to take on eCommerce to grow her business. 

Sam's Goal:

Create opportunities for non-local customers to browse, purchase and ship goods from featured artisans without having to come into the store. 

Sam's Outcomes:

1. Increase revenue and protect current sales/commission margins. 

2. Decrease staff time per shipped order.

3. Drive incremental sales from out-of-state customers through online purchases. 

Sam's Objectives:

1. Create a simple e-commerce website built on the Shopify Platform, featuring three artist collections by the end of the year 2022.

2. Implement Acme Fulfillment system in Q3 to fulfill and ship orders.

3. Have site launch marketing campaign in place by October 2022, targeting early holiday shoppers.

It’s Not Just Paperwork

This isn’t a vanity exercise or busywork — this is a process that transforms our thinking from doing the next item on a task list to understanding the goals and working backward to make sure we’re working on the right things. It’s what allows us to say “we built the RIGHT thing,” not just “we built SOMETHING.” 

It also is a process that drives the right conversations with the right people at the right time. It aligns stakeholders and ensures we all agree on the direction we’re heading and how we’re going to get there. 

This type of alignment is one of the most significant value-adding product leaders bring to the table. When done well, goals, outcomes and objectives become the drumbeat of a product team. They become a unifying rally cry. And they help everyone involved to know what is important.

Challenge

I challenge you to take time at your next product meeting to see if your team can consistently define goals, outcomes and objectives — and if not, work to get aligned on a simple framework like the one above. Put it to the test by getting your team to write them down, debate them, and refine them. I’m willing to bet you have at LEAST one “inconceivable!” moment, but working past it will unite the team and likely create clarity you didn’t know you needed.

And if you think I got these definitions wrong … feel free to let me know! (*Preparing for inbox maelstrom in 3 … 2 … 1 … )