Business Process Management and the Balanced Scorecard : Focusing Processes on Strategic Drivers

By Ralph Smith
Publisher: Wiley
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: 2006-12-11
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0470047461
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780470047460
Binding: Hardcover

Business Process Management and the Balanced Scorecard shows managers how to optimally use the balanced scorecard to achieve and sustain strategic success even as the business environment changes. It exceptionally fills the gap between theory and application to facilitate the use of processes as a strategic weapon to deliver world-class performance.
Summary: Process Improvement for the Process ManagerRating: 5
As a Process Manager, you sometimes get locked in to one approach to process improvement. Ralph Smith gives practical strategies with actual case study results that can be applied in virtually any organization. The concept of improving a business function without considering the constrictions in the total system will make every organization think more systemically for their process improvement effort. Excellent job!!
Summary: No so much about processesRating: 3
This book is ok if you intend to understand how to set up an strategy, but it does not talk very much about how to manage processes and how to design them. Although the book is ok, it mainly talks about strategy.
In my opinion the title is a bit tricky.
Summary: Good approach!Rating: 3
Good, very graphic and explores a key relationship between BPM and balanced scorecard (as in practice happens in public and private sector), But,practical instruments are not enough in this version
Summary: Specifics and practicalitiesRating: 5
I had the opportunity to read Ralph's book while he was delivering onsite Balanced Scorecard facilitation for my current employer. With more than a decade of experience in process improvement, and having read several books on linking process to strategy, I can say that Ralph has done a great job of distilling his consultative approach to the page, providing both the concepts behind his methods and guidelines for applying them to your own business scenarios in the pages of this book. I highly recommend both this book and Ralph's services, as he is an engaging and well-versed expert in the field.
Summary: Linking Strategy and ProcessRating: 5
Ralph Smith says that his intention in writing this book as to "provide some common sense thoughts and implementation tips for process management and the balanced scorecard". He has done this, and done it very well. This book is packed with good practical suggestions about how to efficiently and effectively populate a Strategy Map. The link between process and strategy, ie between Business Process Management and the Balanced Scorecard (and Strategy Map), is also well made. In my own consulting work I have found that Strategy Maps can be an important key to process-based management. The Process perspective of the Strategy Map can be a portal into the processes of an organisation - both figuratively and, given the right modelling tool, literally. I would have liked to see more about how to first determine what are the core and supporting processes of an organisation; building a high level process model is a necessary step before you begin to analyse the processes. Smith's focus on the near forensic understanding of the context of a process is important and useful analysis techniques are described. Too often we leap in to modify (improve?) processes without knowing anything like enough about them. If you have an interest in finding out more about getting organisations to engage with process-based management, you need to read this book.