Industry Visit How size up a company/SBU in a 60 minutes visit using the balanced score card strategy map Pre

visit steps Step 1. Read everything about the company. Use the following sources (At least) 0. Understand the vision mission of the company 1. The latest annual report. Try to get inputs on the future plans of the company (Read the directors report and management discussion and analysis with special attention) 2. News items about the company Step 2A. Identify strategically important new product/ services the company proposes to launch. Identify the new markets the company plans to enter (with new or existing product/service offerings) Step 2B. Understand the growth plans for the company in the existing market. Step 2CA. Get insights into the cost structure of the company and how the company plans to improve on it Step 2CB. Get insights into the asset utilization of the company and how the company plans to improve on it. (look for data on capacity utilization in the annual report) Step C. Get a crisp understanding of the customer segment Step CB1. What do the customers from this segment value in the product? (product characteristic) Step CB2. What aspects of customer relationships are important to the customers? Step CB3. What is the brand personality? (adjectives such as- honest, young, affordable) Step 4. Which processes will be required to deliver customer value and achieve financial objectives?

Prepare the scorecard using the above information before you visit the company Use the visit to vet your scorecard and refine it.

During the visit ask the following questions Financial perspective Which new products are you planning to launch in the next year? What are the revenue targets? Which new markets do you plan to enter in the next year? What are revenue targets/

What are the growth targets for existing products? What are the cost control objectives? (Making products more fordable to customers or increasing profitability) What are cost control (profitability) targets? What are targets for asset utilization?

Customer perspective What are CSat measures? What are customer acquisition and retention measures? What do customers value. (try to go beyond cost, quality and time) How can these parameters be measured? What service attributes do customers value? How are these measured?

Process Perspective Which processes are critical to deliver customer value and the companys profitability and productivity targets? What important initiatives need to be undertaken to ensure that the process delivers required value How will the success of the initiatives be measured?

Learning Perspective What is the CSat score? How are training requirements ascertained and how is training measured?