City Council Balanced Scorecard. Changing working practices through a comprehensive roll-out of Strategy maps and Scorecards across a City Council

Excitant > Case studies and examples > Implementing joined up working in a City Council: A Balanced Scorecard Case Study

Keywords: techniques: Balanced Scorecard, Strategy map, Tangible future, cascade, Management team facilitation

Keyword Application: City Council Balanced Scorecard, Joined up working, Breaking down silos

We helped Peterborough City Council to develop a third generation balanced scorecard across all their departments including Education, Environmental services, Community services, Contract services, Adult Services, and the Chief Executive's office.

Our approach introduced joined up working across the council. Rather than an expensive re-organisation of the management team and their departments, points of collaboraton were identified. Staff were encouraged to work across departmental silos in a joined up manner, with shared balanced scorecard objectives. Strategy maps were used to cascade the overall approach through to each department.

• "I can't think of another example of a project where there has been such sign-up to the approach from every directorate.We have not embedded things before in the same way"


• "There has been an ingrained culture, a way of working. It is pretty impressive to be changing that in a 5 month project."


• "Using this approach has helped us focus on what really matters."


• It has helped us reveal some 'Sacred cows'". "We now focus on the outcomes and on breaking down of the silos."


• "The Audit Commission loved it"


• We can engage people, get feedback and fine tune the strategy. At the end of the day people can say "I have a little part of the strategy in my pocket".


• "This is the first time that the Chief Executive and Directors have explained their strategy effectively without resorting to a thick document."

This case study was documented in Public Servant magazine and is also available in a version that explains the approach and includes the Audit Commission's positive comments on the approach.

pdf  Joined up working:The balanced scorecard for strategy in a City Council

pdf  "The Strategy Focused Council"  This describes using a modern Balanced Scorecard approach to improve the strategy, and performance of a Council.