Seven Steps to Consistently Great Problem Definitions
A problem well-put is half-solved. John Dewey, Logic: The Theory of Inquiry, 1938 Problem solving is a critical skill and one that’s consistently on the list of most-wanted competencies by employers. Solving a problem begins with defining the problem, yet this step is often short-changed because we like to jump to solutions. This results in…
Example of a Balanced Scorecard for a Healthcare Organization
The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a management tool that lets you move beyond backward-looking financial-only metrics to a more holistic view of your business from four different perspectives. The four BSC perspectives can be arranged in different formats. The most common is a vertical linear progression upward from learning and growth at the bottom, to…
Use a Strategy Map to Show How Value is Created in a Health Clinic
Now we’re getting into the fun stuff. In part one of this series I had an overview of a few different management methodologies. In part two I introduced the balanced scorecard for healthcare. Now we are going to turn that balanced scorecard into a strategy map. The balanced scorecard I showed you was not very focused, and this was…
Good, Bad, and Ugly ways to Visualize State-Level Data
We all see data visualizations every day, from horrid chart junk pieces that trigger an immediate mental gag reflex, to exquisite renderings that invite interaction and discovery. Most are just trying to convey a fact or two quickly and efficiently, and that’s fine too. That said, there are a few basic rules to keep in…
A Nine-Step Process Map to Supercharge Your Strategic Communications
Process maps are a powerful enabler of quality. They bring standardization, transparency, and accountability to the activities used to create value for your organization. Process maps sit between higher-level strategy maps and more detailed checklists. Process maps and checklists combined allow you to automate workflow using tools like Process Street. So how about a process map for your…
Too Many Projects to Manage? Use a Portfolio Dashboard.
In a recent post we showed you how to tame project chaos with a checklist, built in the free Google Sheets spreadsheet app. What if you need a more global view of all your projects at once, to be able to tell at a glance which projects are on time and on target? What you’re…
Tame Project Chaos with a Super-Powered Checklist
You’ve created a strategy map and balanced scorecard, and developed process maps for major objectives like strategic communications and events. Process maps show the flow of major activities, but now you want to standardize the detailed tasks involved so you have a tool to teach and improve your work. Enter the checklist. Checklists may seem…
A Strategy Map and Balanced Scorecard for Public Policy Advocacy
If you’ve read my five-part series on management methodologies you know that strategy maps and balanced scorecards are two sides of the same methodological coin. Both look at business objectives and metrics across the same four perspectives, with associated objectives and metrics. Here is a generic strategy map based on some real-world maps I have developed over…
Displaying Likert Scale Data with a Diverging Stacked Bar Chart in Microsoft Excel
We should all be so lucky as to have a ubiquitous data scale named after us. Rensis Likert is one of those proud few, and it’s not a big assumption to assume you are all familiar with his eponymous scale. The ways that Likert scale data is displayed are many, but usually the decision on chart type comes…
Procedure Checklists and Workflow Automation
You made it! Here in the final installment of our five-part series on management methodologies we look at the micro level: taking the process map we developed from our balanced scorecard and strategy map, and detailing the tasks required to complete each step in each activity in a procedures checklist. A procedures checklist allows us to organize and prioritize specific tasks,…
