Creating Outcomes
Set goals, add context, define success signals, and assign teams.
Creating an outcome in Joyous means defining what success looks like before you start working. A well-crafted outcome gives your team a shared target and provides the AI agent with enough context to generate high-quality work cards.
Creating a new outcome
Navigate to Outcomes
Click Outcomes in the sidebar, or go to a team's detail page and click Add Outcome in the header.
Set the goal
Write a clear, measurable goal — this is the single most important field. Think "Launch redesigned pricing page by end of Q2" rather than "Work on pricing page." The goal drives everything downstream: work card generation, health tracking, and progress measurement.
Add context
Describe the background. Why is this outcome important? What's the current state? For example: "We're refreshing our brand identity and the pricing page is the highest-traffic conversion page." Context helps your team prioritize and gives the AI agent better inputs for decomposition.
Defining success signals
Success signals are the criteria that define when an outcome is truly done. Click into the outcome detail page and add signals like:
- "Page loads under 2 seconds on mobile"
- "Conversion rate maintains or improves over current baseline"
- "Passes accessibility audit (WCAG 2.1 AA)"
These signals help the team understand the quality bar and give stakeholders clear checkpoints for review.
Be specific with success signals. "Approved by design lead" is more useful than "Looks good." The more concrete your signals, the better the AI can suggest relevant work cards when you run Decompose.
Adding directives
Directives are constraints and guidance that shape how the work should be done. Add them to communicate boundaries:
- "Must use the new component library"
- "No changes to the checkout flow"
- "Mobile-first design approach"
Directives are read by the AI agent during decomposition and help ensure suggested cards align with your constraints.
Assigning a team and producer
Every outcome belongs to a team. Use the Team chip in the properties sidebar to assign it. You can also set a Producer — the person accountable for driving the outcome to completion. The producer appears on the outcome card and in team views.
Icon and color customization
Click the outcome's icon in the header to open the icon picker. Choose from a range of icons (target, rocket, flag, compass, and more) and set a custom color. This makes outcomes visually distinctive in lists and the sidebar.
Setting target dates
Use the Target dates property to set a start and end date for the outcome. These appear on outcome cards in team views and help with planning and prioritization. If there's a hard deadline, you can track it alongside the target range.
Target dates are for planning — they don't block status transitions. You can move an outcome to Done before or after the target end date.
Outcome statuses
Outcomes move through a lifecycle:
- Backlog — Identified but not yet committed to
- Committed — Actively being worked on
- Blocked — Waiting on a dependency or decision
- Done — Goal achieved and success signals met
- Archived — No longer relevant
Change the status from the Status chip in the header or properties sidebar.
Next Steps
- Health Tracking — Post health updates to communicate progress to stakeholders
- AI Decompose — Let AI break your outcome into actionable work cards