A method system and components for outer loop power control particularly useful for non-real time/real time data services uses data transmitted in many bursts of short duration, called Temp-DCH allocations. A target metric, preferably, target SIR, is adjusted with differing step up and step down levels to converge on a relatively low steady state level of step up and step down target metric adjustments. The initial target SIR and the transient step size for target SIR adjustment is determined in a dynamic way in the outer loop power control for each Temp-DCH allocation of non-real time data.