Outcome vs Effort

3/4/25

Have you ever been told you get an “A for effort”? It feels great to be recognized for hard work, but in Program and Product Management, effort alone isn’t enough.

As PMs, we invest countless hours researching, documenting, and building relationships—only to sometimes fall short on actual outcomes. Maybe your team spent months understanding a client’s needs, only to miss a key delivery milestone. Or perhaps, despite extensive planning, the client changed their mind. To be truly successful, we must shift from measuring effort to measuring impact.

It may seem unfair, but effort doesn’t always equate to value. Many organizations still measure success by hours logged, tasks completed, or (gasp) meetings attended rather than the actual impact of the work. We need to shift from an effort-driven culture to an outcome-driven one. Of course, that’s easier said than done.

Someone once told me, “You can’t throw nine women in a room and expect to have a baby in a month.” Obviously, that’s not how it works. The same logic applies to product delivery—throwing more resources at a problem won’t necessarily speed up results. You can put in tremendous effort, but if the final product has no value to the end user, it was all wasted time.

Here’s a few thoughts:

1) Measure What Matters

One of my favorite books, Measure What Matters by John Doerr, provides real-world examples of companies shifting from measuring effort to measuring outcome-driven objectives using OKRs (Objectives & Key Results).

If you’re currently measuring success based on effort-driven KPIs (e.g., number of features shipped), consider shifting to outcome-based metrics (e.g., increased user retention by 10%).

Effort-Driven: "It took six months to build Feature X."
Outcome-Driven: "Feature X improved user retention by 10%."

See the difference? The first statement shows the team was busy, but the second shows real impact.

Remember Jerry Maguire? “Show me the money!” Don’t just tell me you worked hard—show me the results.

2) Finding Balance

Not all effort is created equal. The key is distinguishing between busy work and strategic effort. Some tasks demand upfront effort but create compounding value over time.

Example: At an early-stage startup, I led an agile transformation, shifting teams from a siloed waterfall approach to a more collaborative, outcome-driven model. This required extensive change management, stakeholder alignment, and training. But the result? Faster delivery, improved collaboration, and FDA approval for our product in just nine months—a massive outcome that justified the effort.

To find balance, ask yourself:

✔ Does this effort create long-term efficiencies? (Yes? High-leverage activity!)
✔ Are we solving a recurring problem? (Yes? We’re eliminating future work and saving money!)
✔ Will this unlock strategic growth? (Yes? The upfront investment is justified!).

Effort does matter—but where and how you apply it is what counts. PMs must ensure their teams focus on high-impact work, not just staying busy.

3) The Shift: Moving Teams & Stakeholders to Outcome Mindset

Understanding the difference between effort and impact is one thing—getting others on board is another. Shifting to an outcome-driven culture requires alignment, strong communication, and overcoming resistance.

Example: At another company, I was brought in to establish a PMO (Program Management Office) to improve project execution. During a team meeting, someone pushed back with, “That’s not how we do things here.”

(My inside voice wanted to say: “And how’s that working out for you?” )

Instead, I took a different approach. I mapped out their current workflow, highlighting gaps, redundancies, and inefficiencies—not just in time, but in revenue impact. By shifting the conversation from process to outcome, we aligned the team around a new way of working. The result?

• Faster project delivery.

• Improved client satisfaction.

• $2.4 million in additional follow-on work.

How Did I Make the Shift?

Resistance is normal and inevitable, so I started by finding my people—those who supported the change and could advocate for it alongside me.

• I made the impact visible with dashboards highlighting outcome-driven metrics.

• I celebrated quick wins to build momentum.

• I encouraged a growth mindset, where failure was a learning opportunity—not an excuse to double down on ineffective work.

As PMs, we must continually ask ourselves:

• Are we measuring success by effort or real impact?

• Are we prioritizing high-leverage work or just keeping teams busy?

• Are we driving measurable results or just checking boxes?

Outcome-driven teams move the needle—not just the clock.

I’d love to hear from you—how have you navigated the balance between effort and impact in your career? Drop a comment below!