Digital Dashboards for Balanced Scoreboards

While perusing the many software implementations of Balanced Scorecard management systems, you may have come across the idea of digital “Dashboards” for management monitoring of implementation and operation of the Balanced Scorecard. Balanced Scorecard or Balanced Scoreboard Management is designed to add several new dimensions to management of most any enterprise. The ability to view and monitor your enterprise from any of several perspectives is an important tool for management. Metrics of accomplishment of interim goals and accomplishment are included in the design of the Balanced Scorecard for each enterprise, with an eye to represent the issues facing that specific enterprise in a clear and concise manner to all levels of management.In a digital collection and interpretation system, the presentation of information gleaned from raw data has always been a problem. How can a manager keep a finger on the pulse of the operation (s)he is managing without dedicating all of his/her time just to monitoring progress has always been a problem. In the system of Balanced Scorecard management, this problem has been addressed by some of the balanced scorecard software developers by designing a customizable digital “dashboard” for use with their software implementation of Balanced Scorecard management metrics reporting.For some managers, this may be, at long last, a reason for that computer on their desk. That may sound a bit crass, but many managers do have computers on their desks that sit virtually unused for their entire lifetime. These are “working managers” who have, at least in their opinions, “more important things to do” than to “work on the computer.” For these and other managers, there are several versions of “dashboards” which will allow the manager to glance at the screen and looking at the array of meters displaying the metrics of the operation in a neat little row across the top, bottom or side of the screen be able to “at a glance” be able to tell how the enterprise is performing. These “dashboard” additions to programs can be designed to match the specific parameters which any specific level of management needs to stay informed about. Many of the software dashboard products allow the manager [or IT person] to reconfigure the dashboard to display various aspects of corporate performance at will. There is here an implied assumption that management cannot or will not deal with raw data, due to whatever time constraints are placed on the management level of the enterprise. Another possible good use for these dashboards might be for the manager on the go. Many of the newer software packages for balanced scorecard management are designed for access through corporate Intranet interfaces. Secure access to corporate Intranet is common these days; so this would allow the busy corporate manager to access the information on the “dashboard” easily, while on the way to meetings, by placing the dashboard on the manager's Web-capable phone, and balancing the phone on the dashboard. The double entendre was intended, but the application of dashboard software for the corporate executive is an important advantage for the manager who chooses to use it.