Balanced Scorecard Professional (BSP) Certification Boot Camp

Introduction

The Institute's Nine Steps to Success framework is the basis of our Balanced Scorecard Training, where the emphasis is on shared participant experiences, lessons learned, and best practices. Small-group exercises are used for each step in the framework to reinforce the lectures. You are encouraged to bring your organization's strategic planning material to share with the class and receive instructor feedback offline as time permits.

Objectives

Topics covered by our Balanced Scorecard Certification course include:

• Basic concepts of the Balanced Scorecard and how it can be used to improve your organization's performance
• How the Balanced Scorecard applies to different types of organizations
• How to build and implement a Balanced Scorecard using the Institute's award-winning nine-step methodology
• How to develop meaningful performance measures and targets
• How a scorecard system can drive your performance-informed budget and accountability
• How to get performance information throughout the organization to better-informed decision making through scorecard automation
• How to cascade the scorecard to all levels of an organization
• How to design and implement a scorecard where other frameworks have already been introduced
• How to revise poorly designed scorecard elements
• How to overcome obstacles and real-world challenges
• How to evaluate planning documents and processes
• Understand the key concepts of the Balanced Scorecard, and why it is gaining so much attention in corporate, non-profit, and governmental organizations
• Learn a systematic, nine-step methodology for building and implementing the Balanced Scorecard, based on the performance management theory developed at Harvard University and the Institute’s international Balanced Scorecard consulting experience

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies, and presentations on best practices. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations. The course is conducted online using MS-Teams/ClickMeeting.

Who Should Attend?

This Balanced Scorecard Professional Certification Boot Camp training course is recommended for executives, managers, planners, and analysts who are part of a Balanced Scorecard development team and are seeking the best practical ideas for improving organizational performance.

Course Outline

DAY 1: Module 1 - Introduction

(Learning Objectives: Explain the concept and origin of the balanced scorecard; outline course modules; introduce the case studies; introduce participants, and discuss reference material.)

• Introductions, expectations, and participant knowledge
• Workshop objectives
• Balanced scorecard concept and origin
• Agenda, schedule, and logistics references
• Introduction to the examples, case study, small group exercises, performance measurement
• software, and the performance scorecard toolkit

Module 2: Overview of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC): (Learning Objectives: Explain the evolution of measurement and strategic management systems; define terms; list reasons for adopting a balanced scorecard system; identify the six steps needed to build a scorecard system and the three steps needed to implement these systems; identify challenges that need to be overcome; discuss indicators of successful systems; discuss time periods for a scorecard project; contrast the differences and similarities in scorecard systems for different organizations; discuss a typical BSC cycle.)

• Introduction to performance management and measurement
• Definitions
• Balanced scorecard history
• Reasons for undertaking a balanced scorecard project
• Similarities and differences among BSC and other performance systems
• Advantages of using BSC performance systems
• Contrast private sector and public agency use of scorecards
• Key questions the BSC seeks to answer
• Sample BSC performance measures
• The Nine Steps Methodology for building and implementing a balanced scorecard project
• Meeting the challenges of scorecard systems
• Indicators of successful projects

Module 3: Building the Balanced Scorecard: (Learning Objectives: Identify the six-building steps) 

1. Using an organization assessment to set vision, mission and strategy, 
2. Defining strategic themes, 
3. Choosing perspectives and developing objectives, 
4. Developing a Strategy Map, Defining performance measures, Developing Initiatives.)
5. Using an organizational assessment to set vision, mission, and strategy
6. Identify customer groups and develop the Customer Value Proposition

DAY 2: Module 4 Building the Balanced Scorecard (Continued):

• Develop Strategic Themes and Strategic Results
• Develop Strategic Objectives and strategic success drivers
• Strategy mapping develop cause-effect relationships among the objectives
• Derive Strategic Performance Measures, Targets, and Thresholds

DAY 3: Develop Strategic Initiatives Define Criteria for Selecting Initiatives

Module 5: Implementing the Balanced Scorecard : (Learning Objectives: Identify and understand the three implementation steps - Using computers to communicate performance information, Cascading the scorecard throughout the organization, and Using scorecard information to improve performance)

• Implementation issues
• Aligning strategy and work throughout the organization
• Collect, verify and validate performance data Transforming data into information
• Software options for managing performance information
• Developing an internal and external communication plan
• Cascading the scorecard throughout the organization
• Employee motivation
• Linking strategy to resource decisions
• Linking performance to rewards
• Scorecard roll out, training, and change management
• Using performance information to improve organization performance

Module 6: Next Steps: (Learning Objectives: Understand the challenges of integrating balanced scorecard systems with other

Enterprise-wide systems; overcoming challenges to implementation)

• Integrating the scorecard with other enterprise management systems
• Integrating the scorecard with other enterprise information systems
• Best practices

Module 7: Getting Your Scorecard On Track: (Learning Objectives: applying the BSC to your organization's needs; discuss company-specific issues)

• Overcoming obstacles and challenges within your organization
• Integrating the scorecard with other enterprise management and information systems
• The role of consultants
• Time and schedule estimates
• Develop an Action Plan based on your organization's readiness

DAY 4: Module 8: Evaluation to Assessment Best practices and terminology review related to Steps Nine and One of the Nine Steps to Success 

• Common Evaluation & Assessment challenges
• Small-group facilitation primer
• Case Study Exercise: use various small group facilitation techniques to identify case study scorecard development issues and problems

Module 9: Advanced Strategic Foundations Development

• A short review of Steps One, Assessment, and Two, Strategy, of the Nine Steps to Success
• Analyzing, identifying, and correcting poor strategic foundation design
• Migrating from other planning models to the balanced scorecard
• Various pitfalls associated with poorly designed strategic themes and perspectives
• Case Study Exercise: Revise poorly designed strategic foundation elements

Module 10: Advanced Objective & Strategy Map Development

• Strategic Objective & Strategy Map Best Practices
• How to facilitate the correction of poorly designed objectives and strategy maps
• Case Study Exercise: Revise poor strategic objective and strategy map design & development facilitation

Module 11: Advanced Performance Management – Measure What Matters

• How to use several frameworks, such as the Logic Model, the Decision Model, and the Critical Question model, to develop a family of potential measurements for each objective
• Identification and correction of problems associated with poorly selected measurements
• Exercise: Practice using the logic model to develop meaningful measurements for various objectives

DAY 5: Module 12: Measurement Definition, Implementation & Visualization

• Advanced measurement definition: ratios, frequency & accuracy requirements
• How to develop “roll-up” measurements and indexes
• How to set targets & normalize data
• How to improve data visualization
• Case Study Exercise: Identification and correction of poor measurement definition &
• visualization

Module 13: Strategic Initiative Prioritization & Management

• Advanced strategic initiative prioritization techniques
• Project management primer
• Case study exercise: practice using a common initiative prioritization technique

Module 14: Advanced Scorecard Alignment & Cascading

• How to build organizational alignment through advanced cascading techniques
• Advanced Tier 2 scorecard development
• How to build a pilot program at the Tier 2 level without a Tier One level scorecard
• How to develop a Tier Three scorecard and align with an appraisal system
• Case Study Exercises: Refine Tier 2 scorecards and develop Tier 3 scorecards

Module 15: Managing & Sustaining a Balanced Scorecard

• Day-to-day management with a Balanced Scorecard
• Performance-based budgeting
• Sustaining a Scorecard
• Strategy Management Office (SMO) roles & responsibilities