Balanced Scorecard Designer

We are happy to present a new diagram in BSC Designer program called “Gauge”. It is now available in diagrams and charts dialog field. Learn more about diagrams and charts in the article “How to visualize data with BSC Designer: diagrams and charts” (First part, Second part).
Also now the current “Time” diagram is filled with basic colors showing the performance rate’s level.

What Gauge diagram shows

Gauge diagram shows the percentage of performance value for any item in the tree (indicators, sub categories and the whole project). The hand shows current performance values at the moment comparing to “min” (the left starting point) and “max” (the right finishing point) values.

To select gauge diagram turn all diagrams on at first. In order to perform this run BSC Designer and click on “Chart Options” button right under chats dialog field. After a new dialog window appears mark every diagram type. Now click “OK” button to save changes. Now when all the diagrams had been turned on select “Gauge” tab in chats dialog field.

Gauge diagram for one of the indicators

Red, yellow and green colors mean the same as stop lights’ colors. Read more about stop lights in the article “How to visualize data with BSC Designer: signal icons“. As for colors’ borders it could be changed the same way as stop lights’ colors intervals. In order to manage color intervals click on “Tools” -> “Stop lights” and select “Options” sign. A new dialog window will appear with two lines – one for Red light and one for Green. Drag sliders in both lines until the needed interval is chosen.

Colors’ intervals management dialog field

“Time” chart is now colorized too!

Such tool and “Time” chart is now colorized using three basic colors. This update aims to make the graph easier to understand and monitor. Since color’s borders are set by the user it is now so easy to notice when some indicator or category does not suit company’s plan. For example the critical percentage value could be set on 50 percent. Now all the values under this border will be red colored so it will help manager to notice what exact indicators or categories for what exact dates he or she is not satisfied with. Oppositely green color might help manager to notice what specialists had made great job in some period of time and need to be awarded.

“Time” chart’s new look

HTML reports’ new look

HTML reports is a common type of reports in BSC Designer. Read more about HTML reports is the article “Reports with BSC Designer“. Advanced HTML reports now present not only “Time” chart but also “Gauge” diagram. This diagram’s usage in reports might help for better understanding presented information by visualizing not only time progress but also current values comparing to minimal and maximal borders. Colorized visualization might be especially useful while presenting reports to persons without special knowledge about balanced scorecard and Business Intelligence concepts like shareholders and investors.

HTML reports’ new look (the first part of it)

HTML reports’ new look (the second part of it)

How to update Balanced ScoreCard Designer program

Current users need to download BSC Designer installer and overwrite the software. No system’s reboot is needed. After the installation is done run the program and use all new functions and features!

Not a user yet? Well join us by downloading a full function software product and use it 30 days long for free! After that the program’s license might be bought.

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Intro

This is the second part of the article “How to visualize data with BSC Designer: diagrams and charts”. The beginning might be found here.

The following part will describe three charts and diagrams:

• Pie Chart
• Absolute weights chart
• Diamond diagram

Pie Chart

As it is known pie chart is a circular graph divided into sectors, illustrating percents. In BSC Designer pie chart performs visualization of such information as current performance values. This simple circle graph shows the performing percentage for the whole project as well as for categories. Viewing this chart it becomes right clear what exactly component makes business project stronger and weaker. Such factor as weight value does not have influence on pie chart. The only message of pie diagram is to show the current performance. In order pie chart to be shown select “Pie” tab of diagrams and charts dialog field.

Pie diagram for the whole project

Absolute weights chart

Every category and indicator in the project’s tree has its own weight. While new data is coming into the BSC project (like indicator values updating) it calculates performance values automatically but sometimes it could be helpful to look at the elements weights visualized in graph. Absolute weight chart shows categories and indicators weight values according to the project. For the whole project this graph will show exact categories values were typed by the user but for the category indicators values will be shown according to their influence on the project. For example the indicator with weight value of “5” located in the category with value of “8” will have an absolute weight value of [ ( 5 x 8 ) / 10 ] which equals “4”. This instrument could help managers to analyze business strategy, to understand and sometimes change company’s priorities.

Absolute weight chart for one of the categories

Diamond diagram

One of the most interesting diagram is a Diamond one. Oppositely to other charts and diagrams it works only with elements that contain at least 3 sub elements inside. Certainly it could not be shown for any indicator. Diamond diagram in BSC Designer is based on radar chart method. A radar chart is a graphical method of displaying multivariate data in the form of a two-dimensional chart of three or more quantitative variables represented on axes starting from the same point.

Diamond diagram presents current performance values comparing to minimal and maximal values. In a way it shows a model that looks even like 3D. This diagram aims to make it easier for the user to manage the most important measure in Balanced Scorecard concept – performance.

Diamond diagram for one of the categories

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Intro

Data visualization is an important feature aimed to help managers monitoring company’s project in BSC concept. That is why not only special icons are presented but also more complex data visualization ways are allowed with BSC Designer software product – diagrams and charts. Program offers wide range of chart’s instruments that might be set by the user according to their needs and convenience.

Diagrams and charts dialog field is located in down right corner of the program’s interface right under the calendar. By default it shows the only one small chart’s type called “Time” Chart. Let’s turn on the other types so it could be shown as well. In order to perform this run BSC Designer and click on “Chart Options” button right under chats dialog field. After a new dialog window appears mark every diagram type. Now click “OK” button to save changes. That is it! Now all the diagram types are turned on and might be selected to be shown. But what all those diagrams mean? Let’s find it out.

Turning all the types of charts on

Time Chart

Time chart is the only diagram presented by default in BSC Designer. Surely it could be seen as visualization for KPIs’ values dynamics as well as categories’ performance value and the whole project performance dynamics in time. The term “time” here means some dates when indicators changed its values (read more in the article “How to manage time points with BSC Designer”). Certainly categories and the whole project had automatically updated as well. That is why “Time” chart is able to visualize any item’s performance dynamics: project’s graph, categories’ graphs and indicators’ graphs.

This chart is a simple but very important instrument. It could help manager to monitor company’s performance, to look for any weaknesses to be fixed and strong sides to become a good example, to prepare business forecasts and sometimes even business plan and strategy.

In order time chart to be shown run BSC Designer program and select “Time” tab of diagrams and charts dialog field. Those simple graph shows time dynamics of any tree element currently selected. For example select one of the indicators, then one of the categories and at last Balanced Scorecard sign which means the whole project’s value. Every element will have its own graph. Measure unit for vertical line is score or percentage of en element while horizontal line shows number of changes had been made to the element. That is how that graph is actually built.

Time chart for the whole project

Optimization Graph

Optimization graph does not show dynamics oppositely to the “Time Chart”. This diagram aims to visualize the optimization direction (read more in the article “How to manage indicators and performance values with BSC Designer”) of KPIs also pointing the current value with its percentage for the indicator. Surely optimization graph does not work with such tree elements as categories and the project – just indicators’ data could be visualized with its help.

Since there are two optimization directions allowed in BSC Designer optimization graph could be of two different kinds: “minimizing” graph (a line from down right corner to top left corner) and “maximizing” graph (a line from top right corner to down left corner). Horizontal line shows indicator’s values starting with minimal number and finishing with maximal number. Vertical line shows an interval from “0” to “1” meaning an interval of “0%” – “100%” performance value of the indicator with percentage as measure unit. It is important that the percentage value showed on the vertical line is calculated automatically be the program and always mean “100%” as the best value for the project’s performance no matter what optimization direction is selected. In order optimization graph to be shown select Optimization tab of diagrams and charts dialog field and then select one of the indicators in project’s tree.

“Minimizing” optimization graph

“Maximizing” optimization graph

Click here to read the second part of this article

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