Desktop·25,124 discussions

Measuring performance with Business Scorecards Accelerator

Locked

Determining success means being able to measure success. However, measuring is often the stumbling block that prevents organizations from reaching, or knowing that they’ve reached, their goals. With the help of SQL Server, Microsoft Office Business Scorecards Solution Accelerator is supposed to overcome this obstacle.

http://www.datawarehouse.com/article/?articleId=4764

[b]What applications and techniques does your organization use to measure success? Does this system revolve around a database? How is it structured?[/b]

Topic

Process versus solution

In reply to Measuring performance with Business Scorecards Accelerator

There are lots of products from many vendors that will help with the work of presenting a balanced scorecard.

But before you propose a solution, Microsoft’s or anyone else’s, first establish what your objectives are.

At a previous company, every business unit established strategic objectives, and used the scorecard to measure success against those objectives. The trick is in determing what are the appropriate measures. In comparison, you can use an excel spreadhseet or a complex database to track the information.

For a reference, take a look at Kaplan’s Balanced Scorecards.

James

Interested in distribution of scorecards

In reply to Process versus solution

I have recently worked through a scorecard process – which went surprisingly well. I developed a scorecard (others did most of the work; I put it together), and now I am looking for a way to distribute the scorecard to members of our organization. My scorecard is in Excel – but it doesn’t have to be. The metrics are in Access, but I want to be able to distribute them in such a way so they can look at the scorecard, then click on the metric and see historic “run charts” and definition of metrics.

So I am looking for that type of solution – already gone through the BSC approach, modified it for our environment, and now want some help on what products can easily display the results to front-line managers and key employees.

Corporate philosophy determines Scorecard Structure.

In reply to Measuring performance with Business Scorecards Accelerator

Are you for vertical integration or horizontal???
How do you manage the accounting procedures??? Cost centers or profit centers??? Employee motivation and stucture??? How do you mange projects and find colateral benefits. How do projects co-exist based on KPI’s??? Do you run PERT’s for scheduling??? Is the organization hierarchal or entrepreneurial??? Mangement and staff contacts???
Each corporation has to find it’s stroke and go with it but the one overriding criteria is the bottom line. Maximize that and minimize your costs while keeping people motivated and happy and success is a shoo-in. The rest is just procedural paper and programming. Scorecards are nothing new but the use of the word has acquired the latest spin. In any given year you will find companies succeding in spite of conventioal wisdom and you will find as many struggling despite the latest innovations in keeping with that wisdom. Don’t be part of the current technology or even the next. Leap-frog ahead to the generation beyond and keep irons in all potential fires. Some you will drop but the ones you keep will carry you to heights you haven’t even imagined. Planning, R&D, plus luck and the guts to ride it are the key. Remember luck is defined as the coincidental joining of good planning and opportunity. Recognizing opportunity as it approaches is the trick. It is often too late to jump on board if you stand around waiting for it to arrive and is definitely too late if you are looking at the middle of the flow. Either innovate or stagnate.
Flexibility has to be the answer for structure if you want to be able to respond to change. It has to be open because it will never come in a can or a package off the shelf. Scorecards are just another buzz word and thanks to MS we’ll be hearing it for the next few years until we’re all sick of it or something jazzier turns up. Then some troglodyte will suggest running it up the flagpole to see who salutes. LOL; now give me a break.

[Author]

Replies