RE: Balanced Scorecard

["Van Putten, Dirk [ETP/SAN]" <Dvanputten@lodanwest.com>]

>The big issue of course is where the data is to be collected that can be
turned into the >information managers need.  IMO, this is one of the big
holes with the balanced scorecard.

>A second hole is that while the scorecard is perceived by many people as
one of the more 
>useful and innovative management tools, is that nobody really seems to know
how to build one >or more appropriately a set of scorecards that can be used
throughout an organisation either
>as an independent device, or as part of a set of structured and cohesive
scorecards that form >part of the information structure of an organisation.

Hello DENizens:

I have had some exposure to Balanced Scorecards while performing the role of
Quality Systems Coordinator for a large electronics manufacturer.

The management team was trained on how to build scorecards. We had unending
buckets of data from which to draw. The problem we had was no one knew what
the formulas were. No one know what the definitions were for each
measurable. It took me a while to get time with the team that published the
scorecard. When I asked for the formulas/ definitions, I got a look similar
to the posture a dog takes when it hears an unfamiliar sound; ears perked up
and head tilted slightly to one side with a look of some confusion.

In this environment, it was not explained to the general staff how the
scores were calculated. This project became a short lived waste of
resources.

IMHO, the failure of the scorecard project was not inherent to the tool but
the human use of the tool.

Regards, Dirk van Putten
dvanputten@lodanwest.com