You can get acquainted with the variety of systems for KPI management using http://www.kpishop.ru . You can get acquainted with the rating of international level systems using http://www.gartner.com . Systems that support management based on KPI are primarily BPM (business performance measurement) systems, systems that allow you to measure the efficiency of performance in the processes or projects of the organization, no other form of activity is given … )
BPM systems can be classified as follows:
- 1C-oriented systems. For example:
- KPI Tool system, an add-on for any 1C 8.X configuration and does not require additional software;
- Volgasoft system;
- Microsoft-oriented systems. For example:
- DION system combines the capabilities of Excel, Visio, and SQL Server;
- Business Studio system, add-on to Excel in terms of BSC, KPI, add-on to Visio in terms of drawing business processes, database in SQL Server
An interesting example of BSC implementation and BSC-based management automation: QlikView RusAppetit
Let’s try to conduct a comparative analysis of KPI management automation systems – QPR Suite and Business Studio. To do this, we will define the criteria:
- Price of 1 license. License properties (functionality, capabilities)
- Cost of technical support for 1 license per year
- Cost of training 1 employee
- Linking processes to metrics
- Convenience of the web portal functionality (collaborative work tools)
- Limits on the number of users working with the system simultaneously
- Convenience of access rights management functionality
- Convenience of the mathematical apparatus of the system for calculating the % of achievement of indicators, including related indicators
- Possibility of integration with other software (downloading actual values of indicators from other systems)
- Possibilities of integration with EDM (electronic document management systems)
- Convenience of printing reports on the results of achieving goals, fulfilling indicators, downloading reports to PDF files, downloading strategic maps to Power Point for creating presentations for management
- Availability of methodological support and standard solutions
- Quality, convenience, speed of support from the vendor
- The volume of modifications and additional settings before launching the system in the company and starting work
- Availability of a professional community for sharing experiences
- Possibilities to link metrics that measure goals to business processes
- Business Process Description Capabilities. Support for the required notations for the business process description system module
- Possibilities of reflecting the process of coordination and approval of strategic maps, goals, indicators, their values
- Business Process Modeling Capabilities (Process Simulation Modeling)
- Convenience of the tool interface for different user groups (developer, advanced business user, simple business user)
1. Price of 1 license. License properties (functionality, capabilities)
| QPR Suite 2012 | Business Studio |
| All licenses are personal (non-competitive, the license is not released when the user logs out of the system, but if you transfer the login and password to another user, then …:) ). It is possible to manage licenses through user groups (folders). | Licenses are divided into 2 types – competitive (license is released when the user logs out of the system) and non-competitive (nominal). It is recommended to purchase nominal licenses for Business Studio Portal. For other Business Studio modules, competitive licenses are used. It is possible to manage licenses through user groups (folders). |
4. Ensuring the connection of processes with indicators
| QPR Suite 2012 | Business Studio |
| It is possible to link metrics to processes through the connection of the QPR Metrics module with the QPR Process Designer module | It is possible to establish links with indicators in the properties of processes |
5. Convenience of the web portal functionality (collaborative work tools)
| QPR Suite 2012 | Business Studio |
| QPR Portal allows for multi-user operation with the company’s goals and indicators database, but difficulties arise if many users have rights to enter or edit actual indicator values. The portal is pre-configured. All changes in the database are automatically reflected in the web portal. | Since March 2013, it has become possible to work with the web portal in version 4.0. The portal is not pre-configured, it needs to be formed, but you can form it for yourself and create several portals for different tasks for different groups of users (another question is how convenient it is to support the operation of several portals, but such an opportunity is provided) |
20. Convenience of the tool interface for different user groups (developer, advanced business user, simple business user)
Each of the two instruments has its pros and cons, it is difficult to compare
In my expert opinion, the QPR interface is more convenient for the developer in terms of managing the KPI system, but the Finns have not yet been able to make the interface simpler, clearer and more user-friendly… You have to get used to each program…
For comparison, here are examples of what scorecards look like in QPR and Business Studio
QPR Scorecard
In QPR, the indicator card information is structured by tabs (General, Rows, Values, Auto-links, Diagram). It is convenient to work with diagrams to clearly see the dynamics of indicator values. Both tools provide the ability to work not only with planned values, but also with boundaries (plan minimum, plan maximum, acceptable values, restrictions). If the properties are set (plan min, and plan max, for example), and target values are not assigned to them, the diagram begins to behave “strangely” in terms of color rendering of the dynamics of planned values.
Typical ranges and colors: below the minimum plan — red range, between the minimum plan and the planned value — yellow range, between the planned value and the maximum plan — green range, above the maximum plan — blue range (the latter case — either the fulfillment of ambitious goals, or the planned value is significantly underestimated).
Scorecard in Business Studio
In the Business Studio indicator card, key information is displayed in a tabular form; the indicator properties (parameters) can be customized.
You can also work with the diagram (graph of the indicator’s value statistics).
P.S.
There will be no continuation… No longer… because the Finns “screwed up” with the development of the QPR product and the promotion of this quite decent product on the Russian market. Alas, it is sad, but true.
