Scorecard Best Practices

Implementation Time Frame and Deadline

It is important to have a realistic time frame for implementing your scorecard system. While management may be eager to get the system up and running, it is important for the organization to take the time to adequately prepare to put the system in place. This includes defining the organization's mission and vision, developing a strategy, mapping the strategy to objectives, developing an organizing framework for performance measures used to reflect the strategy of the organization, selecting appropriate performance measures, designing an appropriate information system to support scorecard, and selling the system to all levels of the organization.

SHAPs (i.e., SUNY, Hyperion, and Pepperdine scorecard) study results showed that, on average, organizations implement their scorecard system in about six months. Most of the respondents implemented their systems in one year or less, although a small number took over two years to deploy their systems (see Exhibit 8.1 ). Factors that affect the time for implementation include the implementation method used for the scorecard system, the degree of automation, the use of consultants, and the resources available.

Exhibit 8.1: Time Required to Deploy Scorecard System

Having a deadline for implementation was found to be effective in ensuring that the scorecard system is completed in a timely manner; without ...