Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a tried and tested framework for organisational success. Various business, government, and non-profit organisations use the balanced scorecard to align day-to-day activities with enterprise vision, mission, and values. Today, more than half of the Fortune 1,000 companies in North America use the BSC, which has become the trademark of a well-run organisation.
In the early 1990s, Robert S Kaplan and David P Norton developed a Balanced Scorecard model to help organisations measure and analyse business performance using financial and non-financial data. Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a tried and tested framework for organisational success. Kaplan and Norton articulated the five fundamental principles needed for building Strategy-Focused Organisations:
Translate the strategy to operational terms
Align the organisation to the strategy
Make the strategy everyone's everyday job
Make strategy a continual process
Mobilise change through robust and effective leadership.
Digital Vs Excel Balanced Scorecard
Usually, organisations begin their strategic planning and management with a paper-based solution or excel spreadsheet. Spreadsheets are not appropriate for long term process planning and execution. The collaboration of real-time data and retrieval of reports is not possible; the process is highly time-consuming and limits the entire organisational performance view. Both paper-based or spreadsheet Scorecard lacked features such as:
Advanced search, filter and sort options
Data Analytics and reports
Historical data analysis
Global access
Real-time data visibility
Centralised data
Data security
Flexibility
Version control
The most appropriate way to actually track your scorecard on a regular basis is to use a balanced scorecard software. Using scorecard software, the organisation stays up-to-date and tracks relevant information. By replacing a traditional scorecard with a digital scorecard system, organisations can improve efficiency, gain transparency over each process, evaluate and implement actions for improvement and achieve the preset organisational goals.
Get better strategy map visualisation
Access to real-time data
Increase data security
Saves time and increase productivity
Support business framework
Analyse, evaluate and visualise different KPIs in dynamic dashboards
Communicate organisational strategy to all employees
Align Organisational, Departmental and Individual goals
Retrieve reports on different KPIs such as Health and Safety, Sales, Quality, Delivery, Cost, People, Maintenance and Environment
Benefits of Balanced Scorecard
Better Strategic Planning
The Balanced Scorecard is vital in building and communicating strategies across the organisation. A strategy map shows a logical cause-effect relationship between the different strategic objectives. Strategy Map ensures harmony between interrelated strategic objectives.
Improved Strategy Communication & Execution
Internal strategy communication is crucial to the successful implementation of the organisation's goal or plans. Regular analysis using a balanced scorecard will help employees align with organisational vision.
KPIs Analysis
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a set of performance measurements that help organisations achieve key business objectives. Key Performance Indicators and Balanced Scorecard aligns employees' performance with the organisation's long-term strategic goals.
Better Organisational Alignment
The Balanced Scorecard ensures that the organisational structure aligns with the strategic objectives. Organisations should make sure that all business units and support functions are working towards the same goals. On ensuring this, organisations can execute growth plans effectively.
Better Process Alignment
A proper strategy focused organisation gets better outcomes. Well implemented balanced scorecards help the organisation align various business processes such as budgeting, risk management and analytics and much more with the preset strategic priorities.
Better Strategic Planning
The Balanced Scorecard is vital in building and communicating strategies across the organisation. A strategy map shows a logical cause-effect relationship between the different strategic objectives. Strategy Map ensures harmony between interrelated strategic objectives.
Identify KPIs That Actually Matters
Make a list of KPIs. Discuss with teams to identify the KPIs that are closely aligned with each department. Identify KPIs which promotes the overall business processes. Ensure that these KPIs are closely aligned with strategic plans.
Assign KPIs to Strategic Goals
Once the KPIs are listed, allocate them to the various departments such as sales, marketing, HR. Though departments will have different KPIs, ensure that all these KPIs finally contribute to the big-picture goals of the organisation.
Identify SMART KPIs
Follow the S.M.A.R.T framework to ensure that the identified KPIs are worth measuring. Make sure the KPIs are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Specific. SMART Key Performance Indicators are important as they will help the management team to avoid metrics that don’t have any impact on business.
Clear and Precise KPIs
Keep KPIs clear cut. Let your teams understand the KPIs so that they can make data-driven decisions to move in the right direction. Let them know what is happening within the organisation and find ways for continuous improvement.
Revise KPIs When Required
As organisations grow, you need to revise KPIs that you currently measure. The KPIs that are no longer relevant can be avoided. Monitor what is relevant. Keep on updating the list of relevant KPIs to stay on track.
Industries that use Digital Balanced Scorecard
Maximise efficiency of all processes within the organisation. Align organisational goals from top to the bottom level.
Various business, government, and non-profit organisations use the balanced scorecard to align day-to-day activities with enterprise vision, mission, and values.
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