Yes, that's the effect outlining has for me, too.
I tend to do a lot of my analysis while writing, when it comes to non-fiction. I know what I'm thinking about and the shape of the interpretation, but the detail comes in when I'm writing the draft. Usually, I don't have to rework much, aside from in light of feedback from peers. But I'm a lot more confident of my abilities when it comes to non-fiction, and more certain that I know the material, the context and the existing scholarship.