4: The Balanced Scorecard

The balanced scorecard (BSC) is the most popular toll for business performance management. It can be used by managers belonging to every kind of (public or private) organization to keep track of the execution of activities and to monitor the consequences arising from the improvements projects. The (financial, customer, internal business processes, and learning/growth) perspectives of the BSC allow to plan and control the company strategy in a holistic way. Starting from its theoretical bases, this chapter describes the BSC measurement perspectives and how to build a strategy map. The chapter closes with some suggestions for ensuring the success of the BSC.