You blew and blew, but did the dog come back?

Management gurus tell us there are three key measurements for a project: input, output and outcome.

These words are precise in meaning, but easily confused.  And they're not terribly exciting.

So how to remember them and use them in a more dynamic way?  Whip out your dog-whistle.

Input = did you blow the whistle? (What resources were invested in the project?)

Output = did the whistle work? (What did the input produce?)

Outcome = did your dog come back?  (What did the output achieve?)

Using dog-whistle metrics lets you understand what went wrong much more easily than silly old management metrics.

Because at the end of the day there are only four scenarios:

1. Not enough puff to produce a good, long whistle. Input failure.  Sack the junior staff.

2. Plenty of puff, but whistle blocked.  Output failure.  Sack the managers.

3. Whistle worked, but dog didn't hear it.  Outcome failure.  Sack the project director.

4. Dog heard whistle, ignored it and ran off down rabbit-hole.  Disaster.  Sack everyone and get a new dog.

What does all this tell us about life?  Not a lot, really. Except that, imperfect as they are, metaphors are more memorable than management-speak.