I attended a talk on create the universe in which your work of fiction resides. This was supposed to be a presentation. However the guys opened the floor up for questions from the audience almost immediately. Nobody likes listening to an hour long PowerPoint presentation without time for questions.In general you should remain driven and focused on your outline. That does not mean that your characters cannot have a small side quest now and then. Limit these to a chapter or two. One of the first jobs of an author is to acquaint the reader to the characters. You want the reader to be on the side of your characters, especially the good guys.
Give a little attention to the scenery of the place. What resources are available? You don't have to literally draw a map. But you should tell the reader the general size of the area.
