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To summarise - my current role as that of IT Services Manager, oh yeah, and I'm quite certain, although without yet having a professinonal diagnosis, that I have Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD for short. I really liked the casts about focus - because I suck at Focus. Early on in the casts it talks about knowing your deliverables and results and I've seen (heard) those mentioned in other casts. I think I understand the difference between a deliverable and a result but I'd really like to have these things defined for me. I can't find definitons for them in the Manager Tools book.

Any help would be much appreciated.

NLewis's picture

... because I've never really thought about it before!  

I've always presumed that a deliverable is something you need to produce while a result is the outcome of the effort to produce it.  

However I never stopped to ask!

RogerL77's picture

I don't mind if the answer is even stating the obvious. Because the obvious might be obvious to lots of people but not to everyone.

pucciot's picture
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* Results are what you want to happen.

* Deliverables are what is produced to make that happen.

 

Let's try a few related ones :

-----

The Manager needs to make a decision on some topic.

Employee is asked to provide this Result

Result Desired --> Employee Provides good data/information to manager for effective decision making

Deliverables --> Statistical reports of last FY product usage  & Pricing Report Information breakdown from 3 competing products - on Monday.

----

Result -->  Better and efficient Decision making in a meeting by group

Deliverables --> Reports and Charts and Graphs shown/brought to a meeting

---

Result --> Higher quantity of completed tickets in shorter times

Deliverables --> Weekly(monthly) reports, charts. graphs showing the amount of submitted vs. completed tickets

---

Result --> 5 % Higher Client Satisfaction over last year

Deliverables --> 

1. Completed Survey Questions - Week 1

2. Distributed Survey to clients - Week 2

3. Results of Survey Tallied - Week 3

4. Results Reported/charts/graphs to supervisor.- Week 4

---

 

* Deliverables divorced from results are merely busy work !

* Results divorced from deliverables are only dreams.

 

I hope this helps.

 

TJPuccio

RogerL77's picture

...it does make sense. I think, IMHO, its one of those things thats assumed we managers already know. When actually it could be open to individual interpretation. The use of examples was particularly helpful.

pucciot's picture
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Yep -- It is easy to focus on deliverables as if they are results.

We all do it -- all the time.

It is easy to say that I am responsible for creating the Weekly Statistical analysis and handing it to my boss.

It sounds like a Result that I am responsible for.

When, in fact,  handing over the Weekly Ticket Report is actually a Deliverable.

 The Result that I provide is more general and broadly stated :

** My responsible results are : * Provide my supervisor with timely data and information so that she can make effective decisions.

It is entirely possible that the Weekly Ticket Report is full of errors or gathered in a poorly validated way.  Or that report does not answer the questions the supervisor wants.

It is entirely possible that an employee can make all of his deliverables, without satisfying the desired Result.

 

AND Providing Deliverables, in general, is its own Result.

 If we are writing a Results based Job Description would look like this :

 

1 - Provide Deliverables to Supervisor by stated deadlines.

2 - Provide Supervisor with accurate and timely Data and information on performance measures

3 - Manage and distribute tickets to technicians to ensure effective workflow

 

You see that it is a focus on Results --- not a list of specific Deliverables.

 

When ever a Desired Result is given to an employee the Next Question in the mind should be :

OK and How do I do that ? 

The answer to that is -- the very first Result Mentioned

-- By Providing Deliverables. (in general)

and then the next question is

OK and What are the Deliverables ?

And then you can get into the specific reports, or number of phone calls, emails, completing tickets etc .... 

 

You and I both know that the actual methods, deliverables, techniques, and workflow to achieve any of these results will change over time... but the Desired Results are a bit more timeless.

I hope this helps too.

Good Luck

TJPuccio

 

 

 

 

 

   

RogerL77's picture

Thank you again. I'm now considering what to do when results are qualitative rather than quantitative.

pucciot's picture
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The Answer is to use Proxies - they are not exact but they help show trends.

 

If one of my directs has lunch with her counterpart in another department 3 times a year, 

It does not prove that they have a positive relationship, but it does seem to indicate the quality of their Relationship.

 

Here ---

This Podcast can help

John and the Gate Gaurds

https://www.manager-tools.com/2008/01/how-to-set-annual-goals-part-3-of-3

 

Good Luck

TJPuccio