Using Balanced Score Card and Key Performance Indicators in Strategic Planning.

Authors: 
Sayed, Ellen N, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Doha, Qatar
Abstract: 

Introduction

A five-year, strategic plan for the eLibrary was approved for implementation in June 2008. Consisting of eight pathways, Futura I was an ambitious plan to move the eLibrary forward from a start-up to a leader in medical information in the Gulf Region. Futura I included planning and expansion of services and resources for internal and external patrons, professional development for the staff and a management module.

Finding a permanent, practical method for measuring progress on the implementation of Futura I became an objective in itself due to the complexity of eight integrated pathways and the high volume of the associated data. Using Excel to track the assignment and progress of action items for eight pathways proved one-dimensional, overwhelming and impractical to manage. In 2010 it was decided to use the Balanced Score Card (BSC) as the tool to measure the progress of Futura I.

The Balanced Scorecard was developed by Kaplan and Norton in 1992.  The purpose of the Balanced Scorecard is to link performance measures to strategic vision, lending itself well to measure the outcomes of the eLibrary’s strategic plan. Looking at an entity from four perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Processes and Learning and Growth, the Balanced Scorecard takes all aspects of an operation into consideration

Objectives

This paper discusses the process and challenges of converting the eight integrated pathways of Futura I to the Balanced Scorecard framework.

Methods

First, the Balanced Scorecard model was adapted to an academic medical library environment, reversing the Financial and Customer perspectives from the commercial model, placing the Customer perspective on top. The eight pathways of Futura I were then mapped to the Balanced Scorecard. Collection development, circulation, web development and interlibrary loan were identified as “Internal processes”; Patron engagement, including liaison activities and information literacy, and Staff learning were aligned with the “Learning & Growth” perspective. Technology was split between the Internal processes and Learning and Growth perspectives. The budget aligned with the Financial perspective, and the Customer perspective was defined as internal and external stakeholders. The College Mission, already aligned with the eLibrary’s mission, was linked to the Balanced Scorecard model.

The strategy map, was challenging to presumably because the strategic plan was already well underway when the Balanced Scorecard was implemented, and also due to the complexity of the strategic plan itself.   

Balanced Scorecard targets and indicators were determined for all eight pathways, setting the stage for developing a dashboard of data. Setting targets, Performance Indicators and Key Performance Indicators proved to be a challenging, but rewarding process.  

Traditional Activity Based Costing was applied for cost analysis in the Financial perspective to assess the cost of certain services, such as Interlibrary Loan. Due to all the estimates in this model, time based Activity Based Costing was applied later.

Knowledge Management concepts were used in the Learning and Growth perspective. The process of developing an internal training program is underway, which is expected to include a professional development plan and a portfolio for each staff member.

Kaizen principles were used to analyze the workflow in the Internal Processes perspective.

Results

Using the Balanced Scorecard model has provided a visual presentation of Futura I, showing more clearly how the pathways contribute towards achieving the mission of both the department and the College.

The performance measures provide a more meaningful picture of the department’s operations, allowing all staff to reflect on their work in a new way.

A consistent and focused data set has revealed service levels, trends and workloads, useful for internal decision-making and for highlighting the eLibrary’s contributions to the College.

Specifically, circulation statistics revealed a higher checkout of headphones than print monographs and only 20% of the available print collection being circulated. This prompted a review of a relatively small, but aging print collection, replacing old editions, and making the eBook available when possible.  The interlibrary loan review revealed idle staff time and a borderline low fill rate. A review of the eLibrary’s instruction program revealed a need for a coherent approach to learning objectives and the assessment of student learning. The financial indicators provided a familiar picture of almost 94% of the resource budget devoted to electronic resources.

Discussion

Striking a balance between quantitative review and the quality of robust services and resources is ongoing in academic libraries. The Balanced Scorecard and its associated metrics provide a practical overview of the strategic plan and have streamlined the quantitative thought process to develop relevant, more granular metrics.

The Balanced Scorecard challenged the library administration to think in new ways to establish more meaningful metrics for services and resources than commonly used in libraries. The detailed metrics have served the eLibrary well when presenting data to the Library Advisory Committee and the College administration.

The dataset itself has proven to be subject to change as the organization evolves. Beyond indicators, measuring the impact of library services and programs has generated an assessment effort.

A blend of relevant quantitative data and outcome assessment is needed to truly show the contributions of the Library.

Conclusion

The Balanced Scorecard can be applied to an academic medical library setting. It proved a useful and practical model for presenting the eLibrary’s strategic plan. It also helped determine key statistical measures beyond the Result Indicators already in place. Both the Balanced Scorecard model and the associated detailed data have been well received by administration and given insight into the operating processes. The eLibrary will continue to develop the Balanced Scorecard model and will use the data set as a foundation for the next generation of Futura; Futura II, the eLibrary’s strategic plan 2012–2017.

Keywords: 
Strategic planning, Balanced Scorecard, Key Performance Indicators, Activity Based Costing, Knowledge Management, Kaizen, Academic medical libraries.
Session: 
Session I. Library Management
Ref: 
I4
Category: 
Library management incl. economics
Type of presentation: 
Oral presentation