Outputs & Outcomes

Overview

I judge a product manager on three things: what they produce on a steady cadence (outputs), what changes for customers and the business because of it (outcomes), and the feedback they get from the people around them. Outputs are the basic requirements of the job. Outcomes are the point of it.

Outputs

Outputs are tracked monthly in one-on-ones, with a 90% minimum. Two months in a row below that triggers a re-baseline.

• Product deck. Vision, strategy, and roadmap, updated and approved by key stakeholders every month.
• Product KPIs. Defined, vetted with stakeholders, and updated monthly, rolling up to company goals over the next 24 months.
• Roadmap. A live roadmap, validated monthly, with at least six months of releases planned and their projected ROI.
• Backlog. A prioritized, estimated backlog that reaches about six months out.
• Specifications. At least one completed spec a month, and a charter for each major initiative.
• Estimation. A weekly estimation meeting with the team.
• Demos. A weekly demo in production, planned at least a month ahead.
• Regular empathy. Contact with customers or personas at least weekly.
• Research. Organized, shared, and synthesized at least monthly.
• Releases. At least one release to users each month.
• Assessments. Every release has ROI targets and a judgment day, with a formal assessment meeting on the results.
• Stakeholder alignment. A monthly meeting that always starts with vision, strategy, and roadmap.
• Profit and loss. The P&L for the product line, updated monthly and compared to the 24-month goals.

Outcomes

Outcomes are measured as attainment of the goals set in the product KPIs, month over month:

• Vision. Progress toward the north star.
• Quality. The product works and holds up.
• Adoption. Customers use what we release.
• Economics. The investment pays back.
• Net P&L. Attainment of the net profit goal for the product line.

How I measure it

Overall performance combines three categories. Outputs carry 20% with a 90% minimum. Outcomes carry 60% with an 80% minimum. Feedback carries 20% with an 80% minimum, drawn from a self-assessment, peers, the direct manager, and a strategic manager. Targets are agreed with the manager and the stakeholders closest to the business.