Communications Guide - Fran O'hara

Copy and Editorial Guidelines 4
Outputs and Outcomes: what is the difference contd.
Customers usually have expectations about both the process and
the output (how they get what they want, and what they actually get)
and this is where outcomes fit in.
An Outcome is a level of performance, or achievement. It may be
associated with the process, or the output. Outcomes imply quantification
of performance.
Our newly appointed people may be:
• too late for the line manager (timeliness)
• capable, or incapable of performing their role
(competence vs. requirements)
• too many, or too few (quantity)
The enquiry response letter may be:
• correct, or full of errors (accuracy)
• easy to understand by the customer, or full of jargon
(customer perception of clarity)
• what the customer wanted to see, or not (customer satisfaction)
Our meal might be:
• too hot, or too cold (temperature/quality)
• too little or too much to eat (quantity)
• tasty, or disgusting (customer perception)
The relationship between processes, outputs and outcomes can be
difficult to untangle. Often, there will be a many-to-one relationship
between processes and any particular outcome.
Using staff satisfaction as an example: a crucial organisational objective
might be to achieve an improved level of staff satisfaction (outcome).
There is no single process that causes staff satisfaction. It is the result
of multiple processes and their associated outputs. These processes
would include staff development, appraisal, reward and recognition etc.
So there is no single process that delivers an output called a
satisfied employee.
To improve performance, we need to be able to describe the outcomes
we need to achieve, be able to express these quantitatively, so progress
can be tracked over time. Then, we can decide which processes will
impact on each outcome.
Communications Guide Page 4.10