Outcomes vs. Outputs: you do understand the difference, don't you?
The difference between Outputs and Outcomes is significant and important. If you are trying to improve your organisation’s performance, you need to be able to describe the Outcomes you want to achieve. You need to be able to express these quantitatively, so you can track progress over time. Then, you can decide which of your organisation’s processes will impact on each Outcome. At that point, you will know what the Outputs are, that also impact on the Outcome. Don't confuse the two! (more..)

Measurement: the key to process capability
Organisations that struggle to understand the basics of effective process measurement are doomed to stay at a relatively immature level of process capability with slow rates of performance improvement. This article describes the key elements of measurement required to create capable and mature processes. (more..)

The birth of “Performance Management” Consolidation of an entire industry
2007 has been quite an amazing year for the market of Business Intelligence and Corporate Performance Management. More than 15 billion $ was spent in Mergers & Acquisitions, mainly by the software industry giants SAP, Oracle & IBM, to acquire the crown jewels of the BI & CPM market. Rarely a complete industry consolidated that quickly, but then again ... the stakes are high. (more..)

Seven ways to Revitalize your Organization's Performance Management Solution
How to aim towards the optimal return of investment in using a performance management solution? From my experience, here are the top seven ways to instantly revitalize your organization’s performance management solution: (more..)

Master Data Management: Utopia or necessity?
Master Data Managements as part of performance management seems an ultimate solution. Is master data management an utopia or it a necessity. (more..)

Measurement Software - now what?
Many organisations are investing in performance measurement software to help display their data. But, how many know what they should be measuring in the first place, or how to get real understanding from the data they have? (more..)

You didn't use brainstorming to select your measures, did you?
When Alex Osborn invented the creativity technique called brainstorming, I wonder if he had any idea just how extensively business would apply it. Almost every meeting employs some kind of brainstorming event, but there’s one meeting that really should leave it off the agenda: the performance measure selection meeting. (more..)