This in our firms' introduction to the concept of the Balanced Scorecard. We use this as part of developing the strategy monitoring and management processes our clients use to insure their strategies stay on track. While this doesn't include our content associated with actually setting up or managing the process, we hope it helps companies who are considering (or struggling with) a BSC implementation.

1. C O N S U L T I N G
A L i m i t e d L i a b i l i t y C o m p a n y
ParCon Consulting,LLC
Measuring the Impact of Your Strategy
A ParCon Consulting Learning Module
Discipline: Strategy Execution
February 10, 2014
Revision (5.1)

2. 2© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC
SECTION ONE
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
Developing a working knowledge of this powerful management tool

3. 3© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC A ParCon Learning Module
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
When creating a strategic measurement system makes sense…
Before discussing ways to measure the impact of strategy; it’s valuable
to discuss why leaders seek out strategic measures in addition to the
standard financial metrics already used in managing the business.
Research shows that the greatest challenge with any strategy is its
successful execution. The most common cause of failure is the inability
of companies to both run the business and change the business in
parallel.
To overcome the challenges of these opposing forces, leaders must first
define the strategic changes in terms that are clear enough to support
action. These take the form of strategic initiatives.
They then need a way to “keep score” – to monitor, assess and share the
progress of change efforts in a way that helps creates urgency in the
minds of the people charged with driving strategy.
This demand for a visible “scoreboard” for that highlights strategic
success is the foundation for building a strategic measurement system.
The Strategy
Changing the Business
 Important but not urgent
 Long term benefit
 New skills & capabilities
 Leaders’ support can vary
 Demands additional time
 Creates long-term value
The Whirlwind
Running the Business
 Feels constantly urgent
 Short term impact
 What “I” do every day
 Cultural reinforcement
 Takes 100% of your time
 Keeps business running
A Clash of Two Opposing Forces
“People are not stupid and they are not lazy;
they are just incredibly busy”

4. 4© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC A ParCon Learning Module
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
What is a Balanced Scorecard?
 Introduced as an advanced performance
measurement by Dr. Kaplan & Norton in 1992
 Expanded to mainstream business leaders via
The Balanced Scorecard 1996
 Concept extended from measurement into a
strategic management system in 2002
 Identified by Bain Consulting as the most
widely adopted strategy management
framework in western business 2005
 2013 BSC continues to undergo refinement
and linkage with new management practices
like Hoshin Konri and TQM
The Balanced Scorecard is a performance management tool
designed to assist business leaders in managing the execution of
their strategy by monitoring the impact of key initiatives as well as
the aggregate results.
It is designed to blend traditional financial metrics with strategic
non-financial performance indicators to provide executives with a
more balanced view of not only how the company is performing
but how well it is able to sustain that performance over time.
History of the Balanced Scorecard
Vision & Strategy
Perspectives of Balanced Scorecard
20021996

5. 5© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC A ParCon Learning Module
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
What attributes mark a well designed scorecard?
Using a set of 15-30 carefully selected strategic measurements that assist
leaders to evaluate & monitor the “vital signs” of their enterprise,
Combining classic financial results (lag) with predictive (lead) indicators to
track current performance and help shed light on expected future results,
Extending measurement & tracking beyond purely financial results to
incorporate elements like; market & client performance, process
improvements or human capital which tend to predict sustained success,
Insuring that “owners”, units of measure, collection frequency, data quality,
and expected results (targets) are explicitly defined,
Incorporating a visual “dashboard” and performance icons that help
executives evaluate whether their strategy is working “at a glance,”
Using a disciplined & well designed governance (review) process that insures
consistent, action oriented reviews coupled with disciplined follow-up.
A Balanced Scorecard is designed to focus your organization’s
attention on the results that matter most in the execution of your
strategy. It does this by:
A recent Bain & Company survey of more than
708 companies on five continents found that
the BSC was used by 62 percent of responding
organizations, a higher adoption rate than
some other well-known management tools like
Total Quality Management, Supply Chain
Integration or Activity Based Management.
Scorecards Drive Performance,
Not Just Measure It

6. 6© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC A ParCon Learning Module
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
The BSC is an important link in the journey from data to wisdom
Financial Reporting
Operational Results
Business Analytics and
KPI
Benchmarks & Performance
Standards
Balanced
Scorecards
Customer & Market Reporting
Financial Data
Operational Data
Market Data
Competitive Data Management Dashboards
Data Information Knowledge Wisdom
Strategic Insight
Perspective
Decision Support
Strategic Measures, Key
Metrics, Advanced Modeling
Standard historical reporting
Process analysis
Discussion & experimentation
Insight & understanding
Management & design
Integrity & timeliness
Business Simulation &
Advanced Modeling

7. 7© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC A ParCon Learning Module
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
Why do leaders adopt this method of performance management?
Quickly Evaluate and Refine Strategy
A well designed Balanced Scorecard forces strategic planners
to be very clear on what results the strategy and its major
components are expected to achieve
Has proven better at predicting future results than using
purely financial metrics
A Balanced Scorecard helps to highlight the impact of strategic
initiatives on business performance and can be an important
test of the validity of a chosen strategy or set of initiatives
Can assist executives in gaining clarity about underlying causes
of financial and business results
Motivate & Align Key Participants
Instills & supports an enhanced strategic perspective by the
leadership team helping them to stay focused working “on”
the business, not just “in” the business
Performance reviews are more productive; exception based
with a focus on root causes and action plans
The Balanced Scorecard helps to align individual activities
with business and enterprise strategies
Measures function as a tool to align desired behavior, by
helping to communicate (in tangible terms) exactly what
executives expect to happen as a result of the strategy
Studies show that people respond to what’s inspected
(measured), not what’s expected
According to a 2003 study conducted by M.I.T. professors and
published in the Harvard Business Review, companies that
utilize strategic measures tied to “driver models” had on
average a 2.93% better ROA and 5.14% better ROE than
peers who utilized only classic financial measures.
“We measure everything but
understand nothing..”
Jack Welsh
“If I had to run a company on three
measures, those measures would be
customer satisfaction, employee
satisfaction and cash flow.”

8. 8© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC A ParCon Learning Module
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
Who benefits from adopting an advanced strategic measures system?
The Balanced Scorecard has proven to be a highly flexible
management tool successfully deployed in organizations of all
sizes, industries, and business models. Research shows that
certain organizations tend to realize higher benefits including;
Large and/or Growing Organizations:
As firms grow, challenges in communication, alignment & control increase as does the need
to rely on more sophisticated information systems that use more diverse measures. The
BSC represents a management tool that helps leaders coordinate cross-functional and cross
business decisions and activities.
Companies Facing Uncertain Environments:
Environmental uncertainty places added pressure on organizations and their strategies.
Uncertainty requires a broader range of information incorporating non-financial and future
oriented metrics that help to address volatility by supporting the development, evaluation
and rapid implementation of successful competitive strategies.
Knowledge & Service Oriented Organizations:
Companies with significant intellectual capital (talent, patents, knowledge) tend to adopt
the BSC because of its integration of non-financial (learning and growth) measures.
Leaders in High Change Situations:
Leaders charged with driving significant changes in their organization via strategy gravitate
toward the BSC because of the “forward looking” components coupled with the ability to
leverage it as both an alignment and change management tool.
“People and their managers
are working so hard to be
sure things are done right,
that they hardly have time to
decide if they are doing the
right things.” Dr. Steven Covey
Scorecards Enhance Perspective

9. 9© Copyright ParCon Consulting, LLC A ParCon Learning Module
Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
Is a Balanced Scorecard right for our organization?
Will a Balanced Scorecard Work for Us?
Use the checklist below to honestly evaluate whether a BSC effort is right
for your organization. While it’s a powerful tool, it is also one that
requires effort and sustained commitment to realize the benefits.
 We have a well defined strategy that clarifies our long-term goals as well as the
key initiatives that we believe will help us realize them.
 We’ve considered “cause & effect” elements of our strategy; that is what actions
we believe will drive the desired goals and results.
 Our leaders & managers are aligned, engaged and committed to driving strategy.
 Our people understand the strategy and are excited about the potential impact.
They are ready to help if they can.
 We see strategy as an integral part of how we intend to manage our business
going forward.
 We are (or desire to be) a metrics and performance driven organization that
values the insights that meaningful measures can give to our leaders and people.
 Quantifiable results have allot to do with how our people get rewarded and
recognized and we expect that strategy would be no different.
Deciding whether a Balanced Scorecard
makes sense for your organization is a
decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Our
experience is that scorecards “say” easy but
they “do” hard. Do they work? Yes!! But the
journey to success can be more challenging
than you imagine.
Making the Right Call