Balanced Scorecard Strategy For Dummies®

Chapter 3. Planning For the Balanced Scorecard

<feature><title>In This Chapter</title>

• Mapping out the basic planning process

• Acquiring the necessary resources and support

• Setting the foundation for your Balanced Scorecard

• Giving your plans a final inspection before implementation

</feature>

So, you’ve decided to try a Balanced Scorecard approach for your organization (or are at least considering the possibility). First, congratulations! But before you head straight to the meat of this book to get started, we need to talk. You have a few things to put in place before you can start establishing and using a Balanced Scorecard. Planning is an unnatural thing to do; it’s a lot more fun to just start doing an activity so you feel like you’re accomplishing something. But, before you jump into an activity — especially in the business world — it makes sense to lay out a roadmap so you can be certain of where you are now and where you want to go.

You may be surprised at how similar a company is to a house. The foundation of a house must be sound in order to safely support the rest of the house. A company is no different — the foundation of a business defines the success of its structure and systems. In this chapter, we explore the critical elements and framework necessary for Balanced Scorecard implementation and sustained success. In this chapter, we introduce several key planning considerations, explain how to ensure that the foundation is solid, and review ways for both sustaining and communicating ...