Gentia Balanced Scorecard Solution

Gentia Balanced Scorecard is a packaged solution which provides all the functionality required to build and maintain a large number of balanced scorecards in any organization. These scorecards can range from a corporate scorecard to a personal scorecard for each employee.

The Gentia Balanced Scorecard combines the strength of Gentia's distributed architecture for analytical applications with the complete implementation of the Kaplan and Norton balanced scorecard methodology - something no other performance measurement or management software application can claim.

By developing the Gentia Balanced Scorecard, a number of key advantages accrue. Gentia, at an overview level, is a platform for the development and deployment of analytical solutions enterprise-wide. The underlying architecture addresses all the technology requirements for large-scale application deployment: an open network architecture, a sophisticated visual development environment, a highly scalable On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) database, rich text handling, and intelligent middleware for data warehouse and ERP integration, as well as enterprise-wide deployment. These core competencies are essential for deploying an enterprise performance management solution across the enterprise and extending it with further analytical capabilities.

High-Level Architecture and Functionality

The Gentia Balanced Scorecard may be implemented in a variety of configurations. Because it has been built using the Gentia Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) Platform, the scorecard system can be implemented as a standalone application, full multi-tier client server or as a Web based Intranet application.

The advantages of such a flexible architecture are wide ranging. The "Holy Grail" of balanced scorecard is enterprise-wide deployment, literally across all levels of the organization. Such deployment, often involving hundreds or thousands of users across heterogeneous client and server computing platforms, requires a software solution based on an architecture that supports such widespread deployment.

For the many organizations having deployed a paper- or spreadsheet-based scorecard solution due to the lack of an automated solution, the Gentia Balanced Scorecard delivers effective deployment of the application beyond a few dozen scorecards. Such a solution also provides full integration with other enterprise application investments such as ERP and DW systems to further tie measures from these key systems back into the context of an organization's strategy and key operating objectives.

Automated synchronization of the complete system across a distributed environment is an essential requirement for an enterprise-wide scorecard. Such an application needs to link and manage corporate, organizational (business unit, departmental, etc.) and even personal (individual) scorecards through support for linked scorecards with cascading sets of linked objectives. Critical to this is the capability for the scorecard to deliver automated assessment and feedback loops that seamlessly deliver updated information to users without requiring manual intervention.

Client Server and Web Ease of Use

From an end-user standpoint, the Gentia Balanced Scorecard provides a wealth of easy-to-use features that allow end-users to set up their complete scorecard environment:

• The core balanced scorecard measurement system reports on actual versus targets across multiple dimensions.
• Explanations and assessments communicate strategy and focus on qualitative information.
• Initiative tracking translates objectives into actions and tracks strategic impact of actions.
• Targets, forecasts and analysis crystallize commitment to strategy and provide ad-hoc analytic capability.
• Dialogs allow shared problem solving with dynamic communication.

Support for both client/server and Web-enabled user environments also becomes critical when deploying the scorecard to hundreds and thousands of users, or when deploying between different organizations (e.g., supply chain scorecards). Users via the Internet should have full application functionality, including the ability to dynamically drill down into charts and graphs as well as provide assessments and feedback through a standard Web browser. The scorecard application should also adhere to standard Internet technologies, such as HTML and Java enabled environments, rather than being restricted to non-standard environments (e.g., ActiveX only based solutions) that limit deployment across standard Web browser environments.

Gentia's Balanced Scorecard solution provides full functionality in both the web-based and rich client/server implementations (pictured above).

Deploying the Gentia Balanced Scorecard

While deployments will vary based on the specific requirements of an organization, a typical implementation consists of the following steps:

Step 1: Installation
Assess the target computing environment and install client/server and/or web versions of the Gentia:Balanced Scorecard application.

Step 2: Scorecard Implementation
Initialize the application, import the balanced scorecard design into system, define application users and begin creating scorecards.

Step 3: Data Integration
Identify sources of data for measures mapping into the scorecard system and build and test data extraction programs.

Step 4: Training
Train application administrators on managing the system and the users on wizards and general usage of the application.

Step 5: Review/Feedback
Users review the scorecards and provide feedback and the entire application is tested.

Step 6: System Integration
Set-up cascading scorecards and, if desired, establish drill through capabilities with other analytical applications.

Step 7: Production
End-users begin utilizing the system by viewing portfolios and scorecards, providing assessments, charting & forecasting, creating and managing initiatives, etc.

Key Features

As a packaged solution, the Gentia Balanced Scorecard delivers a full set of application functionality that enables users to easily create and maintain scorecards at all levels in the organization. Key features include:

Ease of Use

• Point-and-click user interface (rich client or web browser).
• User access to Measures, Objectives, Initiatives, Milestones, and Themes .
• At-a-glance access to mission statement.
• Financial and non-financial assessments and instant assessment review.
• Convenient reporting available on-line or by print on demand.
• Wizard-driven process for building Scorecards, Portfolios and new Initiatives.
• Numerous pre-defined scorecard templates.

Rich Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis Capabilities

• Conduct Scorecard and Portfolio analysis.
• Charting, trend analysis, 'slicing & dicing' and drill down analysis capabilities.
• Add and review text commentary and explanation.
• Identify cause and effect relationships between objectives.
• Drill-through to underlying operational applications and transaction detail.

Centralized Administration

• Control user enrollment and security.
• Create unlimited numbers of groups and users with pre-defined user settings & preferences.
• Easily maintain users, groups, scorecards and applications.
• Deploy unlimited number of perspectives and customize naming conventions.

Enterprise Deployment

• Rapid deployment of linked Scorecards to hundreds and thousands of users
• Access via both client/server and Internet/Web.
• Integration with existing ERP, OLTP systems and Data Warehouses/Data Marts.

Platform Support

• Rich client available as native Windows application (Win 98 and above) or as Java-based application (supporting all Java-compliant platforms such as Linux, UNIX and the Macintosh).
• Web-based HTML client supports all JavaScript-capable browsers on any platform.
• Server Operating Systems - Windows NT, 2000 or XP, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX, HP-UX, Linux.