Balanced Score
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	The balanced scorecard provides a clear plan as to what a company should measure in order to “balance” and keep balanced the financial perspective. It is a management system; that is, the plan is continually utilized and not simply used to arrive at a solution like a metric would. With the balanced scorecard, the hope is that businesses can clarify their vision and mission and translate day-to-day activities into action steps that can meet the overall goals. Using a balanced scorecard system should yield the following results: An increased focus on strategy and results Improved organizational performance by measuring what actually matters Aligning organization strategy with the work people do on a day-to-day basis A new focus on the drivers of future performance An improved communication of the organization’s vision, mission and strategy Prioritization of projects and initiatives The balanced scorecard system matches the following four units to ensure the business foci meet financial goals, and also customer service, process, and internal goals.
	The Learning and Growth Perspective This includes developing competences, knowledge, continuous training and corporate and individual cultural attitudes. Focusing on improvement within the human resources perspective creates a knowledge organization in which people are the main resource because of their knowledge. Continuous training and learning are encouraged and made mandatory. Measures can be put into place to guide managers in focusing training where it is most needed or where the functions or tasks are priorities. As Kaplan and Norton emphasized, “learning” is more than “training”, as it includes internal mentors and tutors and communication between and among co-workers that helps provide a problem-solving pattern. The Business Process Perspective This perspective refers to internal business processes. Metrics, when placed and monitored correctly, allow managers to know how well their business is running, and whether its products and services conform to customer requirements (the mission). These metrics have to be carefully designed by those who know these processes the best, that is, internal employees and managers and not consultants. Customer Service and Satisfaction Customer focus and satisfaction is key in any business regardless of its function. If customers are dissatisfied, they will seek products and services elsewhere. In developing metrics for satisfaction, customers should be surveyed and interviewed to determine where quality assurance might be failing. Determining red flags for the future also is important, as developing a scorecard is for strategic, that is, future, purposes, not just for today. The Financial Perspective Kaplan and Norton feel traditional financial data is indeed essential. Practically, all businesses should make a profit and create timely products or services. The hope in the scorecard system is to take the financial focus one step further: to monitor it as a system along with the other balanced scorecard perspectives. Additional financial-related data, such as risk assessment and cost-benefit data, should be considered here.
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