Productside Webinar

How to Write Great Outcome Statements

Craft outcome statements that inspire action, align stakeholders, and guide your team to success.

Date:

01/29/2025

Time EST:

1:00 pm
Watch Now

Is your team guessing what success looks like? Join Tom Evans and Ryan Cantwell on January 29 for a webinar that breaks down the art of writing clear and actionable outcome statements. Learn how to differentiate between business and product outcomes, articulate measurable goals, and ensure your team is always focused on what matters most. Don’t let vague outcomes slow you down—bring clarity and focus to your roadmap.

 

What You Will Learn:  

  • The difference between Business Outcomes and Product Outcomes—and why both matter. 
  • How to craft outcome statements that drive alignment and action. 
  • Best practices to guide your team toward measurable, impactful goals

Welcome and Introduction

Ryan Kwell | 00:00–02:50
Hello everybody and welcome! I’m Ryan Kwell and I’m joined today by Tom Evans. We both work together at Productside as consultants and trainers. We’re thrilled to talk about today’s topic: writing good outcome statements.

Tom Evans | 02:51–05:00
I’ve been with Productside for almost 15 years, working with clients around the world to implement better product management practices. I’m based in Austin, Texas, and I’m excited for today’s session.

About Productside

Ryan Kwell | 05:01–07:10
At Productside, we know how hard it can be to deliver products people love. Whether it’s aligning stakeholders, predicting customer needs, or managing backlogs, we’ve seen it all. We want to be your outcome-driven partner, tailoring solutions to your challenges and driving transformation.

Poll #1 – Which Goals Does Your Executive Team Use?

Tom Evans | 07:11–10:00
Let’s start with a poll: Which goals does your executive team use to guide product managers? Business outcomes, product outcomes, feature delivery, or something else?

Ryan Kwell | 10:01–11:00
58% said “Business Outcomes.” That’s great—it means teams are focusing more on value and results than outputs.

Why Focus on Outcomes?

Tom Evans | 11:01–16:30
An output is what you deliver—features, capabilities, or products. An outcome is the difference your work makes. Outputs drive outcomes, but if we focus only on outputs, we miss whether we’re making an impact.

Ryan Kwell | 16:31–18:00
An outcome gives you the “why” behind the work. It helps your team align around a common goal rather than just checking off tasks.

Business Outcomes Explained

Tom Evans | 18:01–25:30
Business outcomes support company goals. Whether you’re in a for-profit, nonprofit, or internal team, your work drives organizational success. Business outcomes may focus on revenue, growth, or efficiency. The key is to connect product work to business impact.

Ryan Kwell | 25:31–27:00
Right—goals like “grow revenue 20%” are general, while “expand market share in Asia Pacific by 10%” is targeted. Specificity helps teams prioritize.

Five Strategies for Achieving Business Outcomes

Tom Evans | 27:01–33:20
To achieve business outcomes, companies can: (1) retain current customers, (2) win customers from competitors, (3) increase purchases from existing customers, (4) expand value propositions, or (5) enter new or underserved markets. These strategies help teams focus their product planning.

Ryan Kwell | 33:21–35:00
So Tom, how do you know which strategy is right for you?

Tom Evans | 35:01–37:00
That’s where market analysis comes in—understanding market share, competition, and growth opportunities guides which strategy fits best.

From Business Outcomes to Product Outcomes

Tom Evans | 37:01–43:00
Product outcomes deliver value to customers. They’re about benefits to users, not the company. For example, in an airport, a security operations manager’s outcome might be “reduce passenger wait times.” Those user outcomes roll up into customer or business outcomes.

Ryan Kwell | 43:01–45:00
Exactly. The name “product outcome” can be misleading—it’s really about the people you serve and the improvement they want to make.

How to Express Product Outcomes

Ryan Kwell | 45:01–48:00
Customers want to increase or decrease something—speed, efficiency, or errors. For instance: “Increase passengers processed per hour” or “Decrease unprepared passengers.” These clear metrics help prioritize features.

Communicating Outcomes to Stakeholders

Tom Evans | 48:01–51:00
Communicate outcomes by showing how outputs connect to product outcomes, and how those connect to business outcomes. This alignment story helps stakeholders understand your decisions and support your strategy.

Poll #2 – Applying What You’ve Learned

Ryan Kwell | 51:01–53:00
Which of today’s topics will you apply first? Writing clearer business outcomes, writing product outcomes, or communicating outcomes to stakeholders?

Tom Evans | 53:01–54:00
Most participants chose improving business and product outcomes. That’s great—it shows practical value from today’s discussion.

Q&A and Closing Remarks

Rina Alexin | 54:01–59:00
Questions included how to define outcomes, align executives, and shift from feature-focused to outcome-focused work. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Ryan Kwell | 59:01–End
Thank you all for joining. Don’t miss our upcoming webinar on “Agentic AI” with Dean Peters on February 12. Visit Productside.com to register and learn more.

Webinar Panelists

Tom Evans

Tom Evans, Senior Principal Consultant at Productside, helps global teams build winning products through proven strategy and practical expertise.

Ryan Cantwell

Ryan Cantwell helps B2B teams align strategy and execution. With energy, clarity, and storytelling, he makes product thinking contagious at Productside.
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Webinar Q&A

An outcome statement defines the measurable change your product or team aims to achieve—not the features you’ll ship to get there. In this webinar, Tom Evans and Ryan Cantwell show how great outcome statements help product managers shift from outputs to outcomes, align cross-functional teams, and create clarity around success metrics. Clear outcomes turn guesswork into focus and help PMs prove real business impact.
Business outcomes reflect organizational goals—like revenue growth or market share—while product outcomes measure how your product changes customer behavior to support those goals. This webinar teaches you how to connect the two, ensuring every roadmap item ties back to measurable business impact. When PMs master this distinction, they elevate from task owners to strategic partners in driving growth.
If your executives believe success means delivering features, it’s time to reframe the conversation. Use clear, data-backed outcome statements that show how product work connects to business performance and customer value. Ryan and Tom share storytelling and measurement tactics that help PMs guide leadership from “what we build” to “what impact we create.” That shift earns trust—and strategic freedom.
Start by identifying the north-star business outcome and trace back to the few product outcomes that have the most leverage in achieving it. Use prioritization frameworks like impact vs. effort mapping, or JTBD (“Jobs to Be Done”) insights to pinpoint where your team can move the metrics that matter most. Great PMs focus not on everything measurable—but on what’s most meaningful and actionable.
To write high-impact outcome statements: Start with context: What business problem are you solving? Define the desired change: What will customers do differently when you succeed? Quantify it: Use metrics that show progress, not vanity numbers. Validate alignment: Ensure your outcome supports both customer and business goals. In this session, Tom and Ryan break down real examples and templates to help you craft outcome statements your whole org can rally behind.