Summary

This resource provides a top to bottom or end-to-end picture that shows how a company’s vision and mission are connected to activities and tasks. Internalization of this logic can contribute to enterprise performance management (EPM) and the development of business strategy.

The diagram provides a connected view of strategic thinking and strategic planning on the one hand and tactical thinking and planning on the other hand. This view charts the flow from company vision, mission, values and company goals to business unit objectives, departmental objectives, and activities and tasks. In charting this flow, the diagram also points to the scope of performance measurement.

Summary

This resource explains how businesses should use Statistical Process Control (SPC), which provides a way to understand the variations found in every process, including business processes that involve Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Using an actual business case scenario, the article shows how businesses can discern whether the numbers 1) hint at a stable or unstable process, 2) indicate variation that is inherent to the process or outside the process, 3) call for a process change in order to get better results, or 4) require businesses to identify the actual cause and take corrective action.

Summary

This resource is a diagram that identifies and defines the key elements necessary for successfully realizing the goals of Enterprise Performance Management (or Corporate Performance Management) in a knowledge-based organization.

The two main goals are identified as 1) improving how managers think and act and, 2) the effective deployment of change. The four elements or critical success factors contributing to the achievement of these goals are 1) Performance Measurement, 2) Decision Support, 3) Problem Analysis, and 4) Process Improvement.

Summary

This resource is the famed Deming’s 14 Points for Management.

Dr. William Edwards Deming was an American statistician, college professor, author, lecturer, and consultant. Deming is widely credited with improving production in the United States during World War II and is well known for his work in Japan, where he made a significant contribution to the country’s capability to manufacture innovative high-quality products.

Summary

In this article, author, management consultant and Balanced Scorecard expert Paul Niven points out that measurement is at the heart of all organizational activity and a variety of performance measures are used to gauge success. However, measurement is in a deficient state today and is even among the weakest areas of management.  

The article examines why this is so and finds the answers in the three challenges that organizations face – the limitations of financial measures, the rise of intangible assets, and the difficulty of strategy execution.

Summary

In this article, author, management consultant and Balanced Scorecard expert Paul Niven points out that even the most well constructed Balanced Scorecard will not instantly transform an organization.

For the Balanced Scorecard to deliver positive change, it must be embedded in an organization’s management systems and become the cornerstone for management analysis, support, and decision-making. This requires that organizations determine exactly why they are embarking on a Scorecard program in order to ensure the Scorecard functions as a management system.

Summary

In this article, author, management consultant and Balanced Scorecard expert Paul Niven examines the relevance of ‘execution’ – a term that is very much in vogue on the business landscape – for those involved in strategy implementation and the Balanced Scorecard.

The author presents three important arguments. Execution is a discipline integral to strategy, a core element of an organization’s culture, and the major job of the business leader. In fact, these are organizational imperatives, argues the author.

Summary

In this article, author, management consultant and Balanced Scorecard expert Paul Niven argues that the discipline of Cost Management must evolve to face the realities of the new economy and meet the rapidly changing information needs of today’s decision makers. Cost Management, like finance, is finding out that the new mandate calls for providing the information companies need to produce the value their customers demand.

A focus on the importance of performance measurement is an integral component of the evolution Cost Management is undergoing. In this context, the Balanced Scorecard has emerged as a proven and effective performance measurement tool as organizations seek to succeed at strategy implementation and translate intangible assets into real value for stakeholders.