Intent Integrity

Intent Quality

Intent quality concerns how well the change need is understood, how relevant and valuable outcomes are identified, whether affected interests and relevant perspectives are adequately considered, and how priorities, trade-offs, constraints, assumptions, and uncertainty are handled when establishing intent.

What is intent quality?

It draws on decision quality as a foundation for well-founded reasoning, applied to the distinct choice of what outcomes should be pursued and why. Neither this practice nor direction quality identifies the strongest reasonably achievable outcome position, nor can it guarantee that the resulting choice will preserve all of the potential available. Stronger reasoning should improve the likelihood of making choices that preserve more of what remains reasonably achievable.

The Intent Loop with intent highlightedHighlighted: Intent, where the organization establishes what outcomes to pursue and why.Change capabilityIntentIntent qualityDirectionDirection qualityExecutionIntent tracingValidationOutcome validationEvolutionCapability evolution
Highlighted: Intent, where the organization establishes what outcomes to pursue and why.

Weak Intent

Weak intent is the characteristic vulnerability of the Intent function: establishing what to pursue on reasoning that is poorly founded.

It may reflect how the change need was understood, which outcomes were considered valuable, whose interests were considered, how competing outcomes were prioritized or traded off, what constraints were applied, or the assumptions and judgments underlying those choices. It opens the expected intent gap.

Not a bad outcome. The weakness is in the reasoning through which intent was established, and it is present whether or not the change later succeeds.

What it is not

Not a guarantee that the established intent preserves all available potential. Its purpose is to strengthen the reasoning through which intent is established.

Where it sits

Intent quality is the practice of the Intent function. It draws on decision quality as a foundation for well-founded reasoning about what outcomes should be pursued and why.

Primary effect: reduces the expected intent gap.

  • Intent (function): Intent quality is the practice of the Intent function, protecting against weak intent.
  • Weak Intent: Intent quality is the practice of the Intent function, protecting against weak intent.
  • Decision Quality: Intent quality and direction quality draw on decision quality as a foundation for well-founded reasoning.
  • Intent Gap: Intent quality reduces the expected potential loss in establishing intent.

Referenced by

Cite this page

Rozema, Lars. “Intent Quality.” Intent Integrity. https://www.intent-integrity.com/intent-quality. n.d.

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