"If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." This simple truth championed by management greats such as W. Edwards Deming and Peter Drucker is central to our HR Management philosophy.

Scorecards are great tools for measuring and communicating results. Of special interest to us is the use of Balance Scorecards. The Balance Scorecard is based on the work of Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton. Kaplan and Norton first introduced the scorecard in an article, "The Balance Scorecard—Measures That Drive Performance," Harvard Business Review (January-February 1992). They followed this work with companion articles and multiple books on the subject. Others have written extensively on Balance Scorecards and today organizations of all types have implemented scorecards as a way to use metrics to communicate strategy.

We have adapted the use of the Balance Scorecard for the small and medium-sized employer operating environment. The scorecard links performance indicators to an organization's vision, mission and strategy and identifies key measurements that drive shareholder value, customer expectations, day-to-day processes and employee development. Once developed, a scorecard becomes an effective tool for communicating strategy throughout the organization and measuring your success in executing against plan.