Executive Strategy Manager

Features

Scorecard Development Process Support

With the ESM, you don't simply gain access to a world class strategy management application. You become part of a community of best practice sharing and learn how to build your scorecard the right way. Through our expert guidance, thoughtful directions, multimedia coaches, interactive how-to movies, objective and measure database, and the world's largest strategy execution library, the ESM is your process support application that carries you through the entire development phase of Balanced Scorecards and strategy maps.

Kaplan & Norton Methodology

The ESM is the only application that was built from the ground up to help organizations execute strategy using the proven Kaplan & Norton Balanced Scorecard management process. It's also the only application built under the guidance of Drs. Kaplan and Norton and is the only application enhanced with the guru's latest thinking. The ESM isn't part of our business; it is our business.

The Balanced Scorecard is the centerpiece of your organization's strategy management process so you need a solution that supports your methodology and will be up and running quickly. Don't waste precious time and risk losing momentum with your effort by trying to configure a dashboard application for Balanced Scorecard reporting. Worse yet, don't drive your scorecard team crazy by attempting to manage strategy in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.

Don't settle for a something that's second best to help you execute your strategy. Insist on using the only on-demand strategy execution platform created and managed by the world's leading experts on strategy execution, Drs. Kaplan and Norton and the Palladium team.

Guided Creation Process

ESM takes an organization step by step through the rapid creation and cascading of Balanced Scorecards and strategy maps. The design center contains Drs. Kaplan and Norton's best practice approach to scorecard creation in an easy to follow step by step activity format. View Tutorial: Guided Creation Process

Each activity within the BSC design center contains process guidance in the form of templates, audio visual tutorials, and directions. Take for example our guidance on building objectives:

Strategic Objectives detail your plan for strategy execution by translating "big thoughts" into "concrete steps for action", reflecting the organization's highest priorities.

Each objective should be a concise statement which articulates a specific component of what the strategy must achieve/what is critical to its success. Each perspective usually contains 3-6 primary objectives that state a key aspect of the strategy to be achieved over the next 3-5 years. Objectives are best stated as action phrases (verb/object) and may include the means and/or desired results as well as the action.

Examples:

"Increase Market Share Through Current Customers" (Financial Perspective)
"Be Service Oriented" (Customer Perspective)
"Achieve Order Fulfillment Excellence Through On-line Process Improvement" (Internal Perspective)
"Align Incentives and Rewards With Employee Roles for Increased Employee Satisfaction" (Learning & Growth Perspective)

In order to ensure full understanding, Objectives are often defined at two levels of detail. First, with a name structured as a short four-to six-word headline to be used in graphical representations like the strategy map. Then, with a statement of several sentences to define the objective with greater precision for use in back up material.

For example:
Name: Develop World-Class Workforce
Statement: Our success is dependent upon our ability to develop a world-class workforce. We are committed to developing exceptional leaders, teams, and individuals throughout our organization. We will develop our skills aggressively, acquire key competencies as necessary, and ensure that our expertise is allocated for maximum benefit. Work assignments are based on solid planning and desire to match demonstrated competencies with identified customer needs.

Naturally, we encourage you to engage leaders in your organization and make the scorecard creation a collaborative experience. Each user, if given the access right, can contribute to the scorecard development, regardless of where they are geographically located. The end result, a Kaplan/Norton Balanced Scorecard that you can then implement in your organization.

Strategy Map Designer

As part of the Balanced Scorecard development process we've incorporated an ESM strategy map designer that helps you quickly and easily build a strategy map online. Integrated into the ESM database, each perspective, theme, and objective that have been defined for the scorecard are available in the designer, and can simply be "drag-and-dropped" to the desired position on the canvas. Perspectives, themes, and objectives can also be added directly in the Online Strategy Map Designer.
View Tutorial: Strategy Map Designer

The design tool includes the following features to allow you to create a strategy map that represents your organization's strategy:

Import background images or pictures
Straight or curved arrow connectors
Custom drawing objects
Integrated with ESM database (no more version control problems!)
Snap to grid and layout functions
Create multiple strategy map versions

Objective & Measure Database

Palladium's ESM application contains an 8,000 line item objective and measure library, filled with over 3,000 best practice objectives and 5,000 best practice measures from across 19 industries. The library represents 12 years of experience building thousands of scorecards. We asked our expert consultants to capture best practice examples from their work in the field and share those examples. We consider this list a living repository that is continually updated as new best practices are uncovered.

Within the ESM, the objective measure database is used as part of the scorecard design and refresh phase and can be keyword searched, filtered by industry and by business perspective and function. The database can also be browsed via the ESM Resource area. View Tutorial: Objective & Measure Database

World's Largest Strategy Execution Library

Palladium’s eLibrary comprises over 1,200 strategy execution assets from conferences, trainings, interviews, articles, books and consulting engagements. These assets are the "cream of the crop" and can be used to educate yourself on everything from strategy map design and BSC reporting right up to integrating planning and analytic systems with your scorecards. Library assets are available in a format that is easily accessible, instructive, and useful for those looking to increase their internal capability to execute strategy.
View Tutorial: Strategy Execution Library

400+ Balanced Scorecard Report Articles
100+ Case Studies
300+ Conference Presentations
100+ Video and Audio Executive Interviews
100+ Strategy Maps/Balanced Scorecards
50+ Glossary/Definitions

Execution Premium Community of Practitioners

XPC is a high-impact community of strategy and performance management practitioners brought to you by Palladium, the global leader in helping organizations execute their strategies by making better decisions.

Access thought leaders and collaborate with your peers to solve critical strategic and performance management challenges.
Exchange best practices and stay current with the largest and most up-to-date knowledge from Palladium Group, Drs. Kaplan and Norton, and thousands of leading practitioners around the world.
Transform your business with on-line services, such as the "Solution Center," "Ask the Expert," "Benchmarking Center," and private groups tailored to your needs.