Great, it seems we're in agreement on keeping the outline as general as possible.  However I disagree with tayloring the outline to the current text, and then adjusting it as the book changes.  This is part of the reason the current outline doesn't work well, as you pointed out.  And I think it's unrealistic to expect someone to check the outline every time a new text/edition is used for the course, especially if the new text has significant changes in topics and structure.  I've done outlines for other courses, and wholly believe that it can be done once in a general way that addresses all texts at once.