Strategy Execution vs. Performance Management Software: What You Should Know (Part 5 - Communication)

In my first post on this topic, I explained my basic premise that there are major differences between Strategy Execution software and the broader category of Performance Management software and why I believe that only Strategy Execution software really helps an organization become more performance-focused. I've since talked about accountability (Part 2), driving action (Part 3), and performance improvement (Part 4). This time it's all about communication.

Sharing best practices can multiply the results from performance improvement activities.  Whatever technology you use should encourage and foster communication. Here are some ways that technology can help you do so:

1. By making each component of an organization’s strategy a named element with owners, accountability, and links to action, software can  provide a strong mechanism to communicate an organization’s strategy to all levels.
2. It should be easy for users to “invite” their coworkers to monitor their performance information without involving an administrator. The system should also support nested groups, so that complex “communities of practice” can be easily created and maintained by non-IT administrators. It should also be easy for communities of practice or cross-functional workgroups to create new scorecards of existing information from each of their areas.
3. A nice plus would be “starter packs” of measures that contain hundreds of industry specific standard measures of performance, quality, and compliance. These measures should include definition, source information, benchmarking guidance, and much more. 
4. Another important feature is support for self-service learning within the application. Users should be able to easily access multimedia application support, including short videos explaining the most common tasks within the application. This builds widespread adoption, which helps ensure that communication of strategic information isn't limited to a special group that's "in the know."

Since communication support is not a focus of most performance magagement vendors, you'll need to look carefully for these types of features, which truly support strategic change and long-term sustainability.