We are often asked for a template of a "model Balanced Scorecard." The truth is there is really no such thing. Each Balanced Scorecard should be customized to match your organizational structure, strategy, and situation.

Still, all Balanced Scorecards should contain these components:

Perspectives -- Groupings of your organization’s high-level focus areas (should take all key “"stakeholders" into account).

Objectives -- Critical top-level goals derived from current strategic plan (phrased in short, verb-noun statements, e.g. "improve customer satisfaction".)

Measures -- The best indication(s) that you are on track to achieve each objective (should have no more than 1-3 per objective).

Initiatives -- Time-specific projects (e.g. with defined start- and end-dates) that are separate from, but aligned to, strategic objectives and measures.

Here are a few examples of top-level Balanced Scorecards for several types of organizations. You’ll see that the perspectives, objectives, and measures are all tailored to the type of organization represented.







Find out more about:

• Turning a Strategy into a Scorecard
• Building a Top-Level Scorecard
• Cascading Scorecards