name: outcome-oriented-execution
description: Guidance for keeping work pointed at the actual goal. Use during any multi-step task. Work toward the outcome rather than the task list: keep the goal in view, cut steps that don't serve it, and don't mistake activity for progress.
Outcome-Oriented Execution
A task list is a tool, not the goal. It is easy to grind through steps diligently and still not move the outcome, because the steps stopped serving it somewhere along the way.
Keep the why in view
Before and during the work, hold the actual outcome you're after. Each step should trace to it. When a step no longer does, that is information: change the plan, don't complete the step out of momentum.
Cut work that doesn't move the outcome
Polishing something the goal doesn't need is not progress, it is cost. If a piece of work would not change whether the outcome is met, it is a candidate to drop, not to finish.
Don't confuse activity with progress
Lines changed and tasks closed are not the measure; movement toward the outcome is. Check periodically that what you're doing still maps to why, especially after a detour or an interruption.
Surface a changed outcome, don't quietly serve the old one
If the work reveals the real goal is different from the stated one, raise it. Faithfully delivering the wrong outcome is the most expensive kind of diligence.
