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Purpose

The purpose of this article is to help users correctly create and structure Business Outcomes in the platform so they can clearly define goals, align work across teams, and accurately measure progress. A well-structured Business Outcome ensures that Objectives, Key Results, Projects, and supporting work items all connect in a meaningful way and provide trustworthy reporting across dashboards and views.

Business Case

When Business Outcomes are not structured correctly, the platform can quickly become confusing for users. Objectives may be too vague, Key Results may not be measurable, projects may be disconnected from strategy, and dashboards may display progress that does not reflect the true state of work. This can lead to poor adoption, low confidence in reporting, and difficulty using the platform for leadership decision-making.

By creating Business Outcomes the right way from the start, organizations can:

• Align strategic priorities to team execution
• Improve visibility into progress and performance
• Reduce reporting confusion and support questions
• Ensure dashboards, rollups, and calculations are meaningful
• Help leaders understand what is on track, at risk, or off track
• Make it easier for teams to connect day-to-day work to larger organizational goals

A strong Business Outcome structure is the foundation for accurate progress tracking, reliable executive reporting, and better strategic decision-making.

Objective

By the end of this article, users will understand:

• What a Business Outcome is
• How Objectives, Key Results, Projects, and other work items relate to one another
• How to create a Business Outcome in a way that supports clear reporting and meaningful progress tracking
• Best practices for writing strong Objectives and measurable Key Results
• Common mistakes to avoid when structuring Business Outcomes

Overview

A Business Outcome is a structured way to organize and track strategic work. It allows users to define what they are trying to achieve, how success will be measured, and what work supports that success.

In most cases, a Business Outcome includes:

• Objective — the goal you want to achieve
• Key Results — the measurable outcomes that show whether the Objective is being achieved
• Projects / Milestones / Stories / Tasks — the work being done to support the Key Results

This structure helps connect strategy to execution.

A simple way to think about it is:

• Objective = What are we trying to accomplish?
• Key Result = How will we know we achieved it?
• Project or Task = What work are we doing to support it?

What Is a Business Outcome?

A Business Outcome is a strategic container that helps teams organize goals and track progress. It gives users a place to define meaningful outcomes, assign measurable success criteria, and connect work items that support those results.

Business Outcomes are most effective when they are:

• Clear
• Measurable
• Aligned to business priorities
• Easy to understand
• Structured to support reporting and rollups

A well-built Business Outcome should answer three questions:

• What are we trying to achieve?
• How will success be measured?
• What work is helping us get there?

Understanding the Structure
1. Objective

The Objective is the high-level goal. It should describe the result you want to achieve in a way that is clear and meaningful.

A strong Objective is:

• Action-oriented
• Easy to understand
• Focused on value or impact
• Not too broad
• Not too technical

Good examples

• Improve customer onboarding experience
• Increase product adoption across enterprise teams
• Strengthen delivery predictability for quarterly commitments

Weak examples

• Onboarding
• Product stuff
• Improve system

Weak Objectives are usually too vague and do not give users enough direction.

2. Key Results

Key Results define how success will be measured. They should be quantifiable and directly tied to the Objective.

A strong Key Result is:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Time-bound when possible
• Outcome-based, not task-based

Good examples

• Increase onboarding completion rate from 62% to 80%
• Reduce average setup time from 10 days to 5 days
• Improve weekly active usage from 45% to 65%

Weak examples

• Launch new onboarding flow
• Meet with team weekly
• Build dashboard

These weak examples are activities, not results. They may be important work, but they do not measure success.

3. Supporting Work Items

Projects, milestones, stories, and tasks are the actions or deliverables that help achieve the Key Results. These should support the outcome, but they are not the same as the outcome itself.

Examples of supporting work:

• Launch guided setup wizard
• Update onboarding email workflow
• Build usage reporting dashboard
• Complete integration improvements

These items should connect to the appropriate Key Results where possible.

When to Create a Business Outcome

You should create a Business Outcome when:

• You are trying to track progress toward a strategic goal
• You need visibility into how work supports a broader business priority
• Leadership needs to see progress across teams or portfolios
• You want to connect measurable results to supporting initiatives
• You need reporting, rollups, or dashboard visibility

You should not create a Business Outcome for:

• One-off tasks
• Small operational actions with no measurable result
• Activities that are not tied to a business goal
• Duplicate efforts that already exist elsewhere in the hierarch

How to Create a Business Outcome
Step 1: Identify the Goal

Start by identifying the business goal you want to track.

Ask:

• What are we trying to improve?
• Why does this matter?
• Who is impacted?
• What outcome are we expecting?

Your answer should focus on business value, not just activity.

Example

Instead of:

• Build a new dashboard

Use:

• Improve leadership visibility into quarterly performance

Step 2: Write the Objective

Create an Objective that clearly describes the intended outcome.

Best practices

• Keep it concise
• Focus on the result
• Use clear language
• Avoid technical jargon when possible

Example

Objective: Improve leadership visibility into quarterly performance

This is stronger than:

• Dashboard enhancements

because it focuses on the business impact rather than the deliverable.

Step 3: Define the Key Results

Add Key Results that show how success will be measured.

Ask:

• What metric will change if we are successful?
• How will we know we made progress?
• Is the result measurable?

Each Key Result should include a meaningful measurement approach, such as:

• Baseline
• Target
• Actual
• Direction of progress

Example Key Results

• Increase executive dashboard adoption from 40% to 75%
• Reduce time to review quarterly performance from 3 days to 1 day
• Improve reporting accuracy from 85% to 98%

Step 4: Confirm the Key Results Are True Outcomes

Before saving, validate that your Key Results measure success rather than list work.

Ask yourself:

• Does this describe a measurable result?
• Would leadership see this as proof of progress?
• Is this more than a task or deliverable?

If the answer is no, revise it.

Example

Instead of:

• Create 5 reports

Use:

• Reduce manual reporting effort by 50%

Step 5: Add Supporting Projects or Work Items

Once the Objective and Key Results are defined, add the projects, milestones, or stories that support the work.

These work items should answer:

• What are we doing to achieve this result?

Example

For the Key Result:

• Reduce manual reporting effort by 50%

Supporting work may include:

• Build automated data export
• Create leadership reporting template
• Improve dashboard filtering

Step 6: Assign Owners and Accountability

Every Business Outcome should have clear ownership.

Ownership helps ensure:

• Someone is accountable for progress
• Updates happen consistently
• The right team is managing the outcome

At minimum, make sure users can clearly identify:

• Outcome owner
• Key Result owner, if applicable
• Supporting team or business area

Step 7: Organize It in the Right Hierarchy

Place the Business Outcome in the correct team, portfolio, or organizational level so it rolls up appropriately across the platform.

Improper placement can cause:

• Confusing rollups
• Duplicate reporting
• Missing visibility in dashboards
• Misalignment across teams

Before creating the outcome, confirm:

• Which team owns it
• Whether it belongs at company, portfolio, or team level
• Whether similar work already exists elsewhere

Best Practices for Structuring Business Outcomes
Focus on outcomes, not activities

The platform works best when it tracks impact, not task completion.

Good

Increase customer retention from 78% to 85%

Not ideal

• Launch retention campaign

Make Key Results measurable

If a Key Result cannot be measured, it will be difficult to trust the progress and reporting.

Use numbers, percentages, time reductions, adoption rates, or other meaningful metrics.

Avoid too many Key Results

Too many Key Results can make the Objective unclear and harder to manage.

A focused set of Key Results usually works better than a long list.

Keep the Objective broad enough to matter, but narrow enough to manage

If an Objective is too broad, it becomes difficult to measure.
If it is too narrow, it may be better suited as a project rather than an outcome.

Align work to the right level

Strategic outcomes should not be buried under tactical tasks, and small team tasks should not be treated as enterprise-wide outcomes.

Structure matters for visibility and reporting.

Use consistent naming

Users should be able to scan the platform and understand what each item means. Consistent naming improves usability and reporting.

Review before publishing

Before finalizing a Business Outcome, check:

• Is the Objective clear?
• Are the Key Results measurable?
• Is the work aligned?
• Is ownership clear?
• Is this in the right hierarchy?

Good vs Bad Examples
Example 1: Weak Structure
Objective

Improve platform

Key Results

• Launch new page
• Update design
• Meet with stakeholders

Why this is weak

• Objective is vague
• Key Results are tasks
• Nothing is clearly measurable
• Progress will be difficult to interpret

Example 2: Strong Structure
Objective

Improve user adoption of the Business Outcomes platform

Key Results

• Increase weekly active usage from 48% to 70%
• Increase compen of monthly updates from 55% to 85%
• Reduce support tickets related to progress tracking by 30%

Supporting work

• Launch guided onboarding experience
• Update resource center content
• Add in-app help for progress calculations

Why this is strong

• Objective is clear
• Key Results are measurable
• Supporting work aligns to the result
• Reporting will be more meaningful
• Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Writing tasks as Key Results

Tasks belong in projects or stories, not as the measurement of success.

Mistake 2: Creating vague Objectives

If users cannot immediately understand the purpose of the Objective, it needs to be rewritten.

Mistake 3: Skipping measurable targets

Without a target, users cannot clearly track progress.

Mistake 4: Mixing strategy and activity

Keep strategic outcomes separate from the work used to support them.

Mistake 5: Placing outcomes in the wrong hierarchy

This can affect visibility, rollups, and reporting accuracy.

Mistake 6: Creating duplicate outcomes

Duplicate outcomes create confusion and split reporting.

Mistake 7: Using too many supporting items with no clear relationship

The structure should remain easy to follow.

How This Impacts Reporting

The way a Business Outcome is structured directly affects:

• Progress calculations
• Roll-up reporting
• Dashboard accuracy
• Executive visibility
• Team alignment
• User trust in the platform

If the structure is weak, the reporting may look incorrect even if the system is functioning correctly.

For example:

• A vague Objective may make the dashboard hard to interpret
• A non-measurable Key Result may produce unclear progress
• A duplicated outcome may distort rollups
• Incorrect hierarchy placement may affect visibility

This is why creating Business Outcomes properly is one of the most important steps in using the platform successfully.

Recommended Creation Checklist

Before finalizing a Business Outcome, use this checklist:

Objective
Is it clear?
Is it outcome-focused?
Is it understandable to others?

Key Results
Are they measurable?
Are they results, not tasks?
Do they clearly show success?

Supporting Work
Does the work align to the Key Results?
Is the work meaningful and connected?

Ownership
Is there a clear owner?
Is accountability established?

Hierarchy
Is the outcome placed in the correct team or portfolio?
Will it roll up correctly?

Reporting Readiness
Will dashboards and reports reflect the structure accurately?
Will other users understand what they are seeing?

Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an Objective and a Key Result?

An Objective describes what you want to achieve. A Key Result measures whether you are achieving it.

Can a Key Result be a project?

No. A project is work that supports a Key Result. A Key Result should measure the impact or result of that work.

How many Key Results should I create?

Use only as many as needed to clearly measure success. Too many can dilute focus and make reporting harder to interpret.

What if I do not know the exact metric yet?

Start by identifying the business outcome you want, then work with stakeholders to define a meaningful measure before finalizing the Key Result.

Can I create a Business Outcome for operational work?

Yes, if the work has a clear measurable result and needs to be tracked in the platform. However, small tasks or low-level activities may be better managed elsewhere.

Why does my dashboard not look right after creating an outcome?

The issue may be due to vague objectives, non-measurable Key Results, incorrect hierarchy placement, or misaligned supporting work.

Summary

Creating and structuring Business Outcomes correctly is critical to getting value from the platform. A strong structure helps users connect strategy to execution, trust progress calculations, and understand reporting across dashboards and views.

To create strong Business Outcomes:

• Write clear Objectives
• Define measurable Key Results
• Connect supporting work appropriately
• Assign clear ownership
• Place outcomes in the correct hierarchy
• Review the structure before publishing

A good Business Outcome does more than organize work. It creates clarity, alignment, and confidence across the platform.