“Ends” are the objectives and the processes that must be performed to achieve the objectives are the “means.”  Examples of objectives include deliverables such as:  perform 1,000 lab tests per week, ensure 95% of orders are in shipment within five hours, and produce 300 tons of paperboard a day.

To attain objectives, organizations create processes for screening and hiring applicants, purchasing supplies, ensuring safe practices, terminating employees, evaluating performance, accepting returned merchandise, and on and on. 

Processes (means) are important.  They may even be rigidly enforced.  For instance, if you have the best safety record on the planet, you will still be required to wear safety goggles in designated areas. 

But adherence to process is not why stakeholders put their dollars into your department.  To test this statement, assume the output of your team drops 20 percent. Report to your boss, “Yes, our output is down, but our team is in complete compliance with all of our organization’s procedures and policies.” 

If your output is down 20% compared to the same period last year, I do not think you will be receiving a company jacket at your annual awards meeting—not even if you followed all processes to two decimal places.