Lean and Balanced Scorecard thinking (2): Developing the underlying capabilities

Lean thinking and process improvement is extremely popular and rightly so.  Lean thinking uses a number of practices and approaches to ensure that the processes in an organisation are as efficient as possible and, most importantly, address what the customer wants.  In just on example, I have seen lean processes change a 3 month process [...]

Why benefit management fails in the NHS

The NHS IT delivery programme has a dreadful track record. It is not surprising when you look at their methodology and the techniques the NHS and the ISIP programme recommend for benefit mapping, benefit management and benefit realisation. They are fundamentally flawed.

Here are some of the many reasons why they fail:

They ignore the [...]

Balanced Scorecards in uncertainty and recession (Part 1)

How your balanced scorecard should be helping you in this economic climate (part 1)

The current environment is an excellent test of your balanced scorecard. Does it still serve you well as the economy changes, with credit tightening, interest rate and exchange rate changes, with concerns over governance (just ask a banker), as you need [...]

Principles of effective balanced scorecards Part 2

Principles of effective balanced scorecards Part 2

“Our Balanced Scorecard is an unfocussed mess.”

Many years ago I was chairing a Balanced Scorecard conference. There were over 120 organisations represented and there seemed to be 120 different ways of doing the Balanced Scorecard being promoted. Over dinner I was sitting amongst a group of people [...]