Course Overview
Strategy mapping is becoming the tool of choice for many organizations, as they seek to better understand and communicate their value creation process to customers, employees and other stakeholders. Strategy mapping is one of the key steps in building a balanced scorecard management system, and several other building steps depend on a well crafted strategy map.

This course gives in-depth treatment to Steps Two through Five of the Institute's Nine Steps to SuccessTM balanced scorecard framework. Topics covered by the course include:

• How to think strategically instead of tactically and operationally
• How to formulate the picture of the future for your organization
• How to translate the picture of the future into strategy
• How to create strategic objectives and link them in a cause-effect strategy map
• Best practices in the design of true strategy maps
• How to avoid common pitfalls in strategy mapping
• How to use strategy maps as an internal communication and change management tool
• How to use strategy maps as an external communications tool, to tell your story to customers and stakeholders
• How to develop meaningful performance measures for strategy
• How to develop outcome, output, process, and input measures and targets
• How to develop project measures
• How to link strategic measures to operational measures
• How to automate the strategy mapping and performance measurement processes
• How to develop strategy mapping and performance measure development skills for your planning team

Who Should Attend 
This course is designed for employees of organizations that recognize a need to improve performance through a better strategic planning methodology. The course is recommended for managers, planners and analysts who are involved with writing strategic plans, defining performance measures, building balanced scorecards, complying with regulatory reporting requirements (such as Sarbanes-Oxley, GPRA or OMB PART) or others seeking the best practical ideas in improving organizational performance.

Course Benefits 
This course teaches participants how to think and measure strategically, rather than just in terms of activities and processes. Participants will use a step-by-step process to develop strategic themes and objectives that focus on outcomes and results that are essential for organization success. Participants will use hands-on exercises to develop a strategy map for a typical organization, and then discuss how the tool may be applied to their own organization. Participants will develop performance measures and targets for strategy maps.

You will receive a 200⁺ page Workbook, sample large-format color strategy maps, performance measure examples, checklists, best practices, and small-group facilitated sessions to practice each step in developing and refining a strategy map, and developing performance measures and targets.

Continuing Education Units
Attendees completing this course will qualify for 2.1 CEUs through our alliance with the University of South Carolina.

Hands-On Training
Through case studies and a series of interactive small-group workshops, you will apply strategic thinking concepts to your own current projects and organization. Exercises performed throughout this course include:

• Strategic and creative thinking
• How to develop customer-focused strategies
• Understand strategic themes, results and outcomes
• Understand strategic objectives as the "DNA" of strategy
• Linking strategic objectives to create strategy maps
• Using strategy maps to develop performance measures, targets, and strategic initiatives

Instructors
The course will be taught by the Principals and Associates of the Balanced Scorecard Institute. These instructors have specialized expertise in balanced scorecard training, facilitation and consulting in public 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."

"...the methodologies in this presentation are a powerful medium for achievement of the right strategic objectives."

"...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.

Early Bird Special: 
$100 additional discount per participant for signing up 30 days before the start of the course.

Course Outline

Learning Objectives

• Learn how to think strategically instead of only operationally and tactically
• How to use various assessment tools effectively to identify strategic results
• Best practices in the design of strategy maps, and performance measures and targets
• How to focus on the customer at the outset of the planning process
• How to use strategy maps as a planning tool to focus teams on the right things
• How to use strategy maps as an internal communication and change management vehicle and as an external communication tool for customers and other stakeholder
• How to use strategy maps as the starting point for developing meaningful performance measures and targets

Module I. Importance of Strategic Thinking 

• Introduction
• What is strategy?
• Communicating strategy
• Examples
• What are Results or Outcomes
• Assessing Impact
• Root cause analysi
• Creativity and Innovation
• Vision stew: sources of new ideas
• Change management: adaptability and agility
• Alignment and realignment
• How adaptable are you?
• Why not?

Module II. Introduction to the Planning Methodology

• Setting the Context
• The strategic planning model: starting with the end in mind
• Roof: assessment Mission Vision Values, guiding principles
• Pillars: strategic themes and results, strategic objectives, and strategic initiatives
• Strategy, Perspectives Generic strategy Example strategy maps
• Why this sequence of steps?

Module III. Needs Analysis/Assessment - Step 1 

• Define the primary customer
• Develop the customer value proposition
• Identify SWOT
• Apply SWOT as a strategic tool
• List all desired results or outcomes
• Define breakthrough performance
• Brainstorm a list
• Checklist of common desired result

Module IV. Identifying Strategic Themes - Step 2 

• Best practices
• Define strategic themes based on the organization's "picture of the future"
• Calibrate the strategic altitude
• Select strategic results

Module V. Developing Strategic Objectives - Step 3

• Best practices 
• Develop strategic objectives for each strategic theme and each perspective
• Write objective commentary 

Module VI. Build Strategy Maps - Step 4

• Arrange strategic objectives on strategy map
• Construct links appropriately
• Document key strategies
• Combine strategic theme strategy maps to make an enterprise-wide corporate strategy map
• Document map with graphics software
• Establish ownership to create accountability

Module VII. Performance Measures & Targets 

• Understand the difference between strategic and operational performance measures
• Develop strategic performance measures
• Direct and indirect measurement techniques
• Advanced performance measures
• Target setting and benchmarking

Module VIII. Next Steps

• Select strategic initiatives - Step 6
• Automate - Step 7
• Cascade throughout the organization - Step 8
• Evaluation - Step 9
• Applying the Methodology to your Organization and Situation
• "Pre-existing conditions"
• "Revalidation"
• "Cascading Up"?
• Maintaining momentum
• Change Challenges