Outcomes are difficult to measure or validate. They are usually intangible. Outputs are the means to end. Outcomes are the end results. Effectiveness, efficacy and efficiency are used to measure outcomes. Output measures do not address the value or impact of your services for your clients. Outputs are usually measured in numbers. Outcomes cannot be generally measured in numbers. It is a change that occurs because of the program. Too often social sector organizations are only measuring outputs and they think they are doing enough.
Sometimes a perception that it is too hard or impossible to measure outcomes stops leaders from collecting key outcomes data. This faulty thinking makes it difficult for organizations to demonstrate to funders how their organization is achieving their mission. It also means that organizations are making decisions that may not be directly related to the quality and impact of their services.
Understanding your outcomes will inspire positive change and advancement. Outcomes are about performance levels. Outcomes need to be expressed quantitatively, showing how performance changes over time. Therefore, it is critical to define and measure your outcomes prior to implementing your process or programs.
Without the starting measure, it becomes difficult to demonstrate the true impact. When it comes to deciphering outputs vs. Do you want to go beyond measuring hamburgers and start measuring outcomes?
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All reports and dashboards are showing green, but when you delve deeper, reports on the achievements of your outcomes are all red: your customers are not happy. Now, I am certainly not suggesting that you no longer need to report on the achievement of IT outputs. Not at all. Instead, you need to express these outputs in terms that the business understands—showing exactly how they contribute to the business outcomes. This provides clear business context and shows the value that IT outputs deliver.
Many of the business owners have been working there for 20 years or longer, so they find it difficult to translate the work they do currently to the proposed new services. Workshops made apparent a big reason for these difficulties: the team was often thinking in terms of the outputs they currently produce, then attempting to transition these to the digital platform. Changing this thinking was essential. I asked the team to articulate the business outcomes they need to achieve—this completely changed the direction of this and subsequent workshops.
With the desired business outcomes clearly stated, the team was able to let go of historic outputs and define new outputs that would enable their business outcomes to be achieved. This realization was a watershed towards a new way of working. Now, when the team gets stuck in discussions on process, they pull back to stated outcomes. This focuses them on the outputs they require, stepping away from old processes in order to build new processes.
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