I rather like Randy ingermanson's Snowflake method (http://www.rsingermanson.com/html/the_snowflake.html) of outlining, although I've also been known to just write what comes into my head. I don't think I've settled down as a writer enough to know what really works best for me.

I've never considered outlining a short story. Although plot and character complications will undoubtedly arise in the writing process (a story currently in the edit phase comes to mind), I tend to see the story as more or less of a whole and know where I'm going.