An outline before or after the second draft would be more beneficial for students. I've learned to teach outlines. Students write a general idea outline beforehand, then learn to make it more precise between drafts. Or I teach students to write an outline after the final draft to check if they have fully presented their ideas. I teach outlines , but I also explain my pedagogical problem with outlines.
People write differently, use different methods.
Using an outline, or when to use an outline, or even not to use one - these are ultimately the individual writer s choice. I learned to require students to use outlines for a few papers so they would learn how an outline might help organize one's thoughts. Outlines show students the importance of parallel construction as a method for using similar grammatical structures to express complex ideas. As a creative writer, formula writing disgusted me. I equated it with non-thinking and lack of personal involvement with the writing process.