Kpi and Metrics

Business Performance Management:Measures and Visualization Tools |

Business Performance Management: Measures and Visualization Tools

The ability to have an industry-wide, near-instantaneous perspective on the outlook of a business has been a concept that has been on the wish list of executives from the first days of wide scale commerce. This initiative has led to a diversified progression throughout the years. From the advent of the basic filing system to the early Decision Support Systems (DSS), this has culminated in the introduction of Business Performance Management (BPM) Systems. Business Performance Management, as defined in the text, is “an advanced performance measuring and analysis approach that embraces planning and strategy”. Because of the rapidly changing nature of technology and the relatively new emergence of BPM within the technology field, there are a variety of names for performance management. Corporate Performance Management (CPM), used by Gartner, is defined as an “umbrella term covering the processes, methodologies, metrics and technologies for enterprises to measure, monitor, and manage business performance (Efraim Turban, 2008, p. 176).” Strategic Enterprise Management (SEM), the term used by SAP, is defined as “the management techniques, metrics and related tools (such as computer software) designed to assist companies in making high-level strategic decisions (Efraim Turban, 2008, p. 176).” Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), another term for performance management, is used by Oracle. All of the preceding terms are used in reference to essentially the same concept, BPM. These various terms and different offerings can lead to confusion, so throughout this paper we will use the overarching term of BPM, or Business Performance Management, in the reference to these types of solutions.

BPM is a conglomeration of several underlying systems working in conjunction with each other to produce the desired goal, improving an...