Avoiding premature measure design – use objectives first

Why should a balanced scorecard have objective as well as measures? Developing objectives before measures prevents premature measure design.  This is the tendency for people to leap straight to measures instead of defining more clearly what they want to measure.  If you decide how to measure, before you are clear what you want to [...]

End or Means?

At this time of goal setting and new year resolutions we often face a problem. We set a goal or objective, (stop smoking, make more money, lose weight, change job, etc etc) and within a few days or weeks, the goal has been dropped. Good intentions melting away like snow when the sun rises.

Good [...]

Cascading balanced scorecards

I saw a question on cascading balanced scorecards recently and here was my reply

Here are some simple rules that I employed when I worked with Norton & Kaplan and have applied since

1) Cascade objectives rather than measures.

While some measures cascade many do not naturally translate across organisational boundaries or down through the [...]

Principles of Effective Balanced Scorecards Part 4

Principles of Effective Balanced Scorecards Part 4 “The person who says it cannot be done, should not interrupt the person doing it.” Chinese proverb.

I’m reminded of this every time I work on measures for performance management in an organisation.

As you read this, just imagine you are in a workshop developing measures for your [...]