Outcome vs. Output emphasizes measuring success and impact after deployment to ensure work creates value, rather than just being completed.
"Deployed" is not "Done." This pattern makes that visible.
This pattern extends the board beyond delivery by adding steps that measure whether the work actually achieved its intended impact — not just whether it was completed and shipped.
The Problem
A feature ships. The team celebrates. Three months later, nobody is using it — but it still counts as "done." When the board ends at "Deploy," there's no mechanism to ask: did this actually work? Did it create value?
How It Works
Two columns are added to the right end of the board: "Measure Success" and "Impact Achieved." An item is only considered truly done when success has been measured and confirmed. Output is work that is complete and deployed — not necessarily valuable yet. Outcome is when the work has achieved its intended impact for the customer and the business. If the impact never comes, the item never reaches Done — and that's important information.
When to Use It
- The organization wants to shift from "we shipped it" to "it worked"
- Success measurement should be part of the workflow, not an afterthought
- You want to hold space for the question: did this matter?
Related Patterns
- Hypercare — makes the post-delivery phase visible before outcome measurement begins
- Connect Up- and Downstream — places outcome measurement in the context of the full value stream
Your play!
Get the cards and maps — all 18 FL2 Flow Patterns plus the new "Identify your Flow" companion map (A3 + A2 in EN, A3 in DE), ready to use in your next FL2 workshop or board design session.