On the other hand, you might also need to export some of the data on your Balanced Scorecard to use in another application.

BSC Designer includes all the features you need to import and export your data.

Exporting

Exporting the value of an indicator from BSC Designer to another application is simple.  Just right-click on the indicator, and choose “Export Values” to launch the Export Wizard.  The wizard will help you to specify exactly what data to export, and what format to use.

Importing

You will usually want to import some of the data for your Balanced Scorecard from external files, like MS Excel spreadsheets.  Here is the process to use, step by step.

Here is the source project file:

The source data in MS Excel file

For testing purposes you can download this Excel file.

Step 1  – Select a destination

Where do you want to put the data you’re going to import?  Choose an indicator or category on your Balanced Scorecard, right-click on it, and select “Import Values.”

Choose an indicator or category on your Balanced Scorecard, right-click on it, and select “Import Values.”

Step 2 – Select the data source

You can import your data from a MS Excel file, a CSV (Comma-Separate-Value) spreadsheet file, or you can choose “enter source data manually” to copy and paste from your data source.  If you do enter your data manually, you can choose some special settings to tell BSC Designer how to interpret the data.

Select the source file with data

Step 3 – Select the type of import

What should BSC Designer do with this data?  You can:

• Import new data for the category or indicator you chose as your destination—for instance, its name, weight, and description.

• Create a new indicator, using the imported data.

• Or, import new values for several indicators at once.

Indicator Names

If you choose to import data for several indicators at once, your spreadsheet or other data source should include the name of each indicator and the name of the category in which it belongs.

Import several indicators at once

In this case, you will need to choose between two special options.

• The names of the indicator and its category might be in two separate columns on your spreadsheet.  If so, you need to select the first option: “Names of parent categories for the indicators are specified in separate column.”

• Or, the names of the indicator and its category might be in the same column—for example, in the format, “Category/Indicator.”  In this case, you need to choose the second option.  And you will also need to specify what character separates the category from the indicator—in our example, a slash.

Associating Columns with Indicator Properties

Once you have chosen your destination, the source of your data, and the type of import to perform, there is one final step.  You need to tell BSC Designer how to interpret the columns in the data you are importing.

For instance, column 1 might have the name of the category, column 2 might have the name of the individual indicator, column 3 might have the value of the indicator, and so forth.

• If you chose to import data to create a new indicator, you will see a dropdown menu where you can choose which column includes the Name of the indicator.

• If you chose to import data for several indicators, and the names of the indicators and their categories are in two separate columns, you will see two dropdown menus.  Choose which column includes the Name of the indicator, and which has the name of its Parent category.

Columns in source data need to be associated with properties of indicators.

Importing Dated Values

Finally, you can import data about the value of your indicators on particular dates.

• If your spreadsheet includes values from several different dates, you can select which column has the date for each set of values.  That way, BSC Designer can associate each set of values with the appropriate date.

• If you are importing data about just one date, you can choose that date on the calendar in BSC Designer, and then select the option, “Use current date from calendar.”

• Or, you can import the new data as default values for one or more of your indicators, with no reference to any particular date.

Associating columns with indicators' properties. Click to check details.

BSC Designer software will show you the preview of imported data:

Preview expected results of import

When you will finish import process, you will see imported indicators in the BSC Designer. Click on the dates in the calendar to make sure that right data was imported for right dates:

Results of import in Balanced Scorecard Tree

• We’ll explain the process in “How to calculate performance indicators, step-by-step.
• We’ll cover perspectives and metrics.
• Weights and scores.
• And step-by-step, how to calculate your performance and normalization.

Continuing how-to articles we aim to establish advanced viewing of categories and KPIs management. Last time we created the four categories and few indicators for every perspective. Also basic parameters’ weights were changed. But after that more controlling and management operations need to be done in order to organize the project’s proper work linking to a successful business management as well.

Processing categories and KPIs management special measures need to be set to change the performance value of categories and the whole project. Our task will be to understand how to control such parameters as KPI’s values and analyze its influence on the project’s performance.

KPI’s Values

We have already learned that every indicator and category has its weight but it tells a program the only importance of those parameters. To make any summary of the project itself KPIs Values are have to be added. Those numbers describe what percentage or score does every indicator have at the moment. Let’s look at few examples of value to be set.

Percentage Value

Such indicator as “Return on investment” in financial perspective shows the amount of money gained or lost on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. Using BSC Designer with default settings the value of this indicator might be set as the percentage of money gained. If $1,000 invested and 300 have returned at the moment the value of “Return on investment” KPI will be 30 with “%” selected as measure option meaning that 30% of money invested had returned.

In order to set up this KPI’s value select the indicator and change its name into “Return on investment”. Now in the same indicator’s bottom dialog field find” Value”, “Measure”, “Min” and “Max” fields. Then change the Measure option, selecting “%” sign instead of “Score” and also type “30” number in Value field. Leave “Min” field with “0” and “Max” field with “100” that means you measure the percentage from 0 till 100. After that click on the projects tree dialog for changes to become set. Congratulations! The first KPI now has its value!

Setting up indicator’s percantage value

Score Value

The example for score value could be “Number of products manufactured monthly” in internal process perspective. This KPI’s value should show how many products the organization produces during the calendar month comparing to the manufacture plan. Here the actual number needs to be set without any calculations but the maximum have to be corrected according to organization’s plan. If 200 bikes were planned to be produce but actually just 130 were manufactured this KPI’s value will show 130->200.

Let’s input this information into the BSC Designer’s project. Select a KPI in “Internal process perspective” category and change its name into “Number of products manufactured monthly”. Now look at the bottom dialog field where you have just changed the name and type 130 in Value field. Then choose the measure option, selecting “Score” in “Measure” field. After that set a proper maximum number by typing “200” in “Max” field and leave “Min” field as “0”. That is it.

Setting up indicator’s score value

Optimization direction

Not every indicator needs to grow in case of company’s performance. There are several factors that are needed to be minimized. The option of optimization direction choice in BSC Designer is used for such KPIs. Such indicator as “Complains number” in “Customer perspective” category could be a good example. It is certain that the best number of customers’ complains is 0 what means everybody is satisfied with the product or service. So in case of project’s balanced scorecard optimization this KPI’s value needs to look like X->0 where X Is the number of complains at the moment. If the company has 3 complains about its goods there will be the KPI’s score value of 3 with minimize optimization direction.

To fill up the project with this data select an indicator in “Customer perspective” category. Change this KPI’s name into “Complains number”. Now let’s fill up the fields referring to the KPI’s values. Type the number “3” in “Value” field. Now choose the measure option selecting “Score” in “Measure” field. Leave “Min” as “0” and set “Max” as the number of product the company sells monthly or some average number of complains. Let the “Max” number be “100” in our example. After that change optimization direction selecting “Minimize RP = MP * (Max – Value) / (Max – Min)” in “Optimization” field. Click on the projects tree dialog for changes to become set and that is it.

Setting up indicator’s score value to be minimized

Performance

While the new data was input into the project the value of “Performance” were changing as well. The performance is the most important metric in BSC project and it is not possible to change it directly. The performance of the whole project depends on its categories weight and performance values while the categories’ performance depends on its indicators weights and values.

To fill up the project and make its performance proper count at least one more KPI’s value needs to be set in “Innovation and learning perspective” category. Let it be “Illness rate” indicator meaning calculation by comparing employee illness-related absences against planned working time within a month. It is calculated using the formula of (illness-related absence time, days) / (planned working times, days) and has the measure of percents. As we already know the minimize optimization direction is needed to be used in this case and also “%” measure fits here. Let’s set the value of 13% as example. Now every of the four categories has its performance value and it equals 60.26%

Project’s total performance

Minimal project’s performance

In order to look what might cause a zero percent performance of the whole project let’s change numbers in ”Value” field of every KPI as at worst. KPIs “Return on investment” and “Number of products manufactured monthly” have a maximize optimization direction so its values are needed to be decreased down to “0”. KPIs “Illness rate” and “Complains number” have a minimize optimization direction that is why its values are needed to be increased up to maximum number. When all the parameters are set the whole project’s performance value becomes 0 which means the company is not effective at all.

Minimal project’s performance

Maximal project’s performance

To reach the performance of 100% every indicator’s value needs to be set for the best perspective. KPIs “Return on investment” and “Number of products manufactured monthly” have a maximize optimization direction so its values are needed to be increased up to the maximal nuber (“100″ for “Return on investment” and “200″ for “Number of products manufactured monthly”). But “Illness rate” and “Complains number” indicators have a minimize direction of optimization so its values are needed to be decreased down to zero. After the proper changing the whole project’s performance increases its rate up to 100% which means the business works absolutely perfect.

Maximal project’s performance

Conclusion

In Balanced Scorecard concept KPIs are determined within each company or company’s market niche according to organization’s strategy and plans. That is why this article aims to show the logic of KPI’s management process with BSC Designer software so you could be able to set any special parameter you actually need.