Course Overview

This is a required course for balanced scorecard practitioners who want to achieve the highest level of certification – Master Professional Certification – from the Balanced Scorecard Institute. This course is designed for students who have completed preliminary Institute courses, either the Introduction to Balanced Scorecard and Advanced Balanced Scorecard courses, or the BSP Certification Boot Camp course. This course includes advanced balanced scorecard topics, mentoring from a senior Institute certifying trainer, development of a student  practical application, and certification exam preparation.

This five-day course uses the Institute’s nine-step balanced scorecard framework: Building and Implementing a Balanced Scorecard: Nine Steps to Success™. The course is taught in an interactive manner, using lecture, lessons learned, practical examples, mentoring with specific help on each student’s application example, shared participant experiences, before and after scorecard examples from actual client engagements, certification exam preparation, and practice sessions. The culmination of the course is a student presentation to the class and instructors, and the certification exam. 

The goals of this course are to: learn advanced techniques for building and implementing a balanced scorecard performance management system, learn advanced change management aspects of the balanced scorecard journey, learn facilitation and coaching skills necessary to lead and participate in team workshops, learn how to do communications strategic planning, learn how to overcome the ten most common challenges to success, and practice building a scorecard application under the eye of an experience certifying balanced scorecard trainer.

Successful implementation techniques will be taught, as will tips and tricks for dealing with implementation issues standing in the way of successful scorecard programs. Performance measurement software will be demonstrated to show how computer software can be used to assist in setting up the scorecard, and in collecting and reporting performance information. Change management and facilitation skills will be taught and participants will have a chance to practice these skills. Participants will need to come prepared to develop a real scorecard based on their needs. Topics covered by the course include:

• Comprehensive approaches to strategic planning, strategic management, performance measurement and target setting, initiative prioritization, performance information systems, and program evaluation
• The Institute’s Nine Step methodology for building and implementing balanced scorecard planning and management systems
• Modern approaches to Strategic thinking and Strategy mapping
• Communications strategy development and change management aspects of the balanced scorecard journey
• Facilitation and coaching skills necessary to lead team workshops in the development of a balanced scorecard system for your organization
• How to select appropriate BSC software to collect and report performance information throughout the organization
• How to cascade the enterprise scorecard throughout the organization

Prerequisites

This course is designed for participants that have already completed one of two programs of study:

Option 1
Course 370: Balanced Scorecard Professional Certification Boot Camp

OR Option 2 (both required)
Course 301: Introduction to the Balanced Scorecard
Course 401: Advanced Balanced Scorecard: Train the Trainer

Completion of one of these two options is required for registration for Course 520 to be approved.  You will need the approximate dates and city in which you completed these prerequired courses when you register.  Please contact the Institute with any questions. 

Who Should Attend 

This course is recommended for executives, managers, planners and analysts who are seeking the best practical ideas in improving organizational performance, and who want to achieve the highest level of certification – Master Professional Certification – from the Balanced Scorecard Institute.

Course Benefits 

This is a hands-on workshop taught by the most senior Institute facilitating consultants, and is designed to enable anyone involved with developing a balanced scorecard system to act as a coordinating change agent/internal consultant to lead and develop a scorecard system. Instructors will work closely with each participant. Participants will learn how to develop balanced scorecards and apply them in their own organizations. Software for planning and performance measurement will be demonstrated to show how information technology can be used to help develop the scorecard system, collect, report, and visualize performance information, and cascade an enterprise scorecard to business and support units, and to teams and individuals. Past participants also have raved about the value they received from working side-by-side with other participants, who come from all over the world and various organization types.  This sharing of practical experience occurs through classroom discussions, through meet-and-greet receptions scheduled during the week, and in some cases through electronic correspondence long after the course has ended.  Tuition covers all course materials, as well as continental breakfasts, lunches and refreshments during residency session.

Continuing Education Units

Attendees completing this course will qualify for 3.5 CEUs through our alliance with the University of South Carolina.

Hands-On Training

For each step of the course, we will use case studies and exercises in small groups to allow each participant to practice facilitation techniques and receive feedback from the instructor. You will work with your colleagues from a wide variety of organizations with different perspectives. You come to the program with an application example from your organization or from a personal interest area, and you build your scorecard during the class, with expert instructor feedback at each step of the process.

Course Materials:

• A 400-page workbook and a collection of current lessons learned and best practices on the many aspects of scorecard systems
• Performance Toolkit® with worksheets for each step of the methodology
• Reference material, including a Change Management book
• Readiness Assessment and Lessons Learned tips
• Sample organization assessment survey with questions
• Sample Strategy Maps on large-format charts
• Packet of Case Studies and Exercises
• Advanced consultant toolkit material, including templates, detailed guidelines for consulting and facilitation, sample schedules for building a scorecard system, definitions, and a summary of each step in the process

Instructors

The course will be taught by Senior Associates of the Balanced Scorecard Institute. All program instructors have specialized expertise in balanced scorecard training, facilitation and consulting in public, nonprofit, and private-sector organizations.

Feedback from past participants:

“…the BSC program was one of the best professional development experiences I’ve ever had."

“I loved the case study exercises!”

"Very useful charts and checklists to evaluate the process of developing performance measures."

“…the case study was very supportive of understanding the process of developing and mapping strategy."

"HOME RUN...I would recommend that this educational opportunity be required for all public and nonprofit organizations."

"...good information on what we need to do at our respective workplaces to effectively cascade the balanced scorecard."

Public Sector Discount: 

For two-day and three-day workshops, there is a $150 discount for participants from public sector and not-for-profit organizations (use discount code NP).

Multi-Registration Discount: 

There is also a $100 discount for three or more participants from the same organization. We encourage more people from the same organization to attend so that they can collaborate during the workshop.

Course Outline

Introduction
(Learning Objectives: Introduce participants; outline course modules; introduce the application example; discuss the course schedule and the certification exam.)

• Introductions, expectations, and participant knowledge
• Workshop objectives
• Agenda, schedule, and logistics
• Introduction to the workbook and course
• Definitions
• Application development and presentation description and requirements
• Certification exam discussion

Overview of Balanced Scorecard Principles
(Learning Objectives: Review the basic principles of balanced scorecard strategic planning and management systems; discuss building, implementation, and sustainment issues; discuss critical success factors of successful systems; discuss managing the scorecard project; contrast the differences and similarities in scorecard systems for different organizations; discuss a typical BSC cycle.)  

• Review and contrast different approaches to performance management and measurement
• Benefits of scorecard systems
• Definitions
• Differences among business, government, and nonprofit scorecard systems
• Review of the basic components of scorecard systems, and how they fit together
• Summaries, challenges, and lessons learned for each scorecard system framework step
• Characteristics of good
• Sample BSC strategies, strategy maps, and performance measures
• Challenges of scorecard systems and how to overcome them
• Class dialogue around student issues

The Balanced Scorecard Development Process
(Learning Objectives: Discuss principles and success factors of managing scorecard development programs; contrast the differences and similarities in scorecard systems for different organizations; discuss a typical BSC cycle; learn effective facilitation techniques.)

• Managing the process
• Creating a realistic scorecard development schedule
• Securing resources and getting people on-board
• Dealing with objections
• Facilitating scorecard development workshops
• Class dialogue around student issues

Change Management Aspects of Balanced Scorecard Systems 
(Learning Objectives: Understand the people side of implementing a change initiative; obstacles and how to overcome them)

• Use a Readiness Assessment to define the organization’s readiness for change
• Theories of change
• Review models for change from experts in the field of Change Management
• Developing a change management plan
• Class dialogue

Advanced Scorecard Development Techniques
(Learning Objectives: Advanced techniques for surveying customers and employees, strategy mapping, performance measurement and target setting, initiative management, and scorecard cascading; rewards and recognition )

• Changing hearts and minds through interactive communications
• Employee motivation
• Rewards and incentives
• Tips on building and sustaining employee buy-in
• Advanced performance measures’ considerations
• Cascading the scorecard throughout the organization – aligning vision, strategy, and work
• Project management
• Best practices
• Class dialogue around student issues

Managing With the Balanced Scorecard
(Learning Objectives: Organization considerations for managing scorecard systems; using scorecard information to improve performance; strategic budgeting)

• Implementation issues
• Review of software options for collecting, verify and validating performance data and information
• Strategic budgeting using the balanced scorecard
• Using performance information to improve organization performance
• Sustaining the scorecard system
• Class dialogue around student issues

Application Development and Certification Exam Preparation
(Learning Objectives: Develop a practical balanced scorecard example for your organization; work through issues facing scorecard implementation in your organization; prepare for the certification exam)

• Review student application material
• Build the student application and prepare student presentations
• Sit for the Certification Exam