Output, outcome, utility, warranty
An output is a deliverable; an outcome is the result the stakeholder gets. Utility is fitness for purpose — what the service does; warranty is fitness for use — that it will do it reliably enough. Both are required for value.
Why it is like this
The pairs separate what is produced from what is achieved, and what is promised from whether it holds. Each pair catches a different failure.
Not to be confused with
Four interchangeable words. A service with utility and no warranty does the right thing unreliably; with warranty and no utility it reliably does the wrong thing. Neither produces value.
In practice
Output: a photo. Outcome: the memory preserved. Utility: the camera takes photos. Warranty: it works in the rain, on the day.
Source: ITIL 4 Foundation (AXELOS / PeopleCert), 2019 edition — §2.5.2 — outputs and outcomes; §4.x — utility and warranty. Read on .
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Predict Check yourself
A reporting service is always available, fast, and secure, but produces figures nobody can act on. Which half is missing?
Show the answer
Utility — it is fit for use but not fit for purpose, so no value is co-created.
Availability, capacity, security and continuity are all warranty. Utility is whether the thing does what the user needs at all.