discover-outcomes

Discover Outcomes

Overview

Define outcomes that describe measurable behavior change or business impact, not features. Build a clear outcome ladder so opportunity discovery and solution ideas have a shared target.

Position in Workflow

Step 1 of product strategy workflow:

/discover-outcomes
Define outcomes (THIS)
/discover-opportunities
Identify opportunities
/ideate-solutions
Explore solution concepts
/discover-assumptions
Validate with experiments

Inputs (ask if missing, max 5)

Business or product goal (north star)
Target segment or market
Baseline metrics or current state
Time horizon for change
Constraints (budget, compliance, strategy)

Workflow

Separate outcomes from outputs
Outcomes are measurable changes; outputs are features or deliverables.
Outcome laddering (OST-style)
Start with the top-level outcome.
Ask: "What must be true for this to happen?" to create 2-3 supporting levels.
Write precise outcome statements
Use actor + behavior change + context + metric.
Attach metrics and baselines
Include leading and lagging indicators.
Specify baseline, target, and time window.
Prioritize outcomes
Score impact, controllability, time-to-learn, and strategic fit.
Handoff
If outcomes are set, move to /discover-opportunities or /discover-assumptions .

Outcome Statement Templates

Increase [actor behavior] in [context] from [baseline] to [target] within [time]. Reduce [friction/cost/risk] for [actor] during [context] by [amount] within [time].

Output Format

Outcome Discovery

Context Summary

[1-3 sentences]

Outcome Ladder

Level 1 (Top outcome): ...
- Level 2: ...
  - Level 3: ...

Metrics

Outcome: ...
- Leading indicators: ...
- Lagging indicators: ...
- Baseline: ...
- Target: ...
- Time window: ...

Prioritized Outcomes

... (impact X, controllability X, time-to-learn X, strategic fit X)
...

Open Questions

Next Step

Proceed to opportunity discovery. Run /discover-opportunities.

Quick Reference

Outcomes = behavior or business change; outputs = features.
Always include baseline + target + time window.
Keep ladder depth to 2-3 levels unless complexity demands more.

Common Mistakes

Writing features as outcomes
No baseline or time window
Skipping leading indicators
Ladders that are too deep or too vague