Profiles in Performance

Too many organizations invest in performance management and business intelligence projects, without first establishing the needed conditions to ensure success. But the organizations that lay the groundwork for effective change first reap the benefits.

In Profiles in Performance: Business Intelligence Journeys and the Road Map for Change, Howard Dresner (author of The Performance Management Revolution) worked with several extraordinary organizations to understand their thriving "performance-directed culture." In doing so, he developed a unique maturity model-which served as both a filter to select candidates and as a lens to examine accomplishments.

• Interviews with people from all sides of the organization: business users, finance, senior management and the IT department
• Provides a complete picture of their progress from inception to current state

The models, analyses and real world accounts from these cases will be an invaluable resource to any organization hoping to improve or initiate their own performance-directed culture.

Foreword.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

CHAPTER 1 Performance-Directed Culture.

Four Levels of Maturity.

Six Performance-Directed Culture Criteria.

The Maturity Model as an Assessment Tool.

CHAPTER 2 Denihan Hospitality Group.

9/11 Rocks the World.

A New Era of Growth Begins.

An Ownership Change Spawns a Brand-New Company.

The Economy Puts the Brakes on Rapid Growth.

The Seeds of a Data-Driven Culture Are Planted.

New Talent Brings Different Perspectives.

Operational and Financial Data Come Together.

Widening Cultural Divide?

Bringing Everything Together.

CHAPTER 3 Cleveland Clinic.

Determined to Lead.

The Gap between Medical Excellence and Business Performance.

Searching for Equilibrium.

The Times Are Changing.

Time for Change.

A New Leader for the 21stCentury.

CHAPTER 4 Northern California Public Broadcasting.

Can the Same Standards Be Applied to Nonprofits and For-Profits?

Setting the Stage for Public Broadcasting in America.

San Francisco's Unique Brand of Public Television.

Seismic Changes in Public Broadcasting.

Money Is Always an Issue.

A Growing Desire for Stronger Financial Management.

New CFO Shakes Things Up.

CHAPTER 5 Mueller Inc.

New Owners and a Changing Market Demand a New Focus.

Mueller Gets Back on Track.

Growth Tests Mueller.

The 21stCentury Brings a New Set of Challenges.

Formalizing Performance Management at Mueller.

An ERP System that Works!

Beyond ERP to Business Intelligence.

Mueller Refines its Management System.

CHAPTER 6 Tying It All Together.

It's All about Change.

Other Factors to Consider.

Applying the Lessons Learned.

Index.

"A thought-provoking exploration of the fascinating intersection between people, processes, and technology, and an important tool for all levels of management, providing key insights into the formation of a performance-directed culture and a glimpse into those organizations that have successfully created one." (AccountingWEB.com, February 15, 2010) Howard Dresner is President of Dresner Advisory Services, LLC, an independent advisory firm, and is a recognized authority in the areas of business intelligence and performance manage-ment. Prior to his new venture, he spent thirteen years at Gartner, where he was a research fellow and lead analyst for business intelligence, and served as chief strategy officer at Hyperion until forming his own consultancy in 2007. So many organizations invest in enterprise performance management (EPM) and business intelligence (BI) solutions without the needed conditions to ensure success. As it turns out, the right culture—one which is receptive to BI and EPM—is often the missing ingredient. In his book, Howard Dresner author of The Performance Management Revolution, worked with several extraordinary organizations to understand their thriving "performance-directed culture." In doing so, he developed a unique maturity model—which served as both a filter to select candidates and as a lens to examine accomplishments. Spending time onsite, he got to know the people, their businesses, and their cultures.

The author interviews people from all sides of the organization, including business users, finance professionals, senior management, and the IT department, to present a complete picture of their progress from inception to current state. The models, analyses, and real-world accounts from these cases will be an invaluable resource to anyone hoping to improve or initiate their own performance-directed culture.

These detailed case studies reveal key insights into developing a performance-directed culture, including:

• The strategic, operational, and technical aspects

• The four essential forces

• Different paths forward: IT-driven vs. business operations, finance, or executive management

• Setbacks, "wake-up calls", and other lessons learned

A thought-provoking exploration of the fascinating intersection between people, processes, and technology, Profiles in Performance: Business Intelligence Journeys and the Roadmap for Change is an important tool for all levels of management, providing key insights into the formation of a performance-directed culture and a glimpse into those organizations that have successfully created one.

Praise for Profiles in Performance: Business Intelligence Journeys and the Roadmap for Change

"Dresner's deep-dive case studies offer invaluable insight into the nuts and bolts of organizations pursuing great performance. The Performance Culture Maturity Model is an excellent tool."
—Don Tapscott, Chairman, nGenera Insight, and author of thirteen books about the new technologies in business and society, most recently Wikinomics and Grown Up Digital

"Performance management is a growing discipline that requires examples and role models for its healthy development. Dresner has created an outstanding set of deeply researched case studies that bring his Performance Culture Maturity Model to life. Performance-directed culture is an insight that will drive new ways of thinking about business intelligence and performance management for current and future generations of business and IT leaders."
—James M. Popkin, Group Vice President and Gartner Fellow Emeritus, Business Intelligence and Information Management, Gartner Inc.

"Howard's contention that 'people trump processes and technology every time' is absolutely on the mark. In Profiles in Performance, he delivers candid, real-life stories from inside several companies striving to create performance-directed cultures. The first-rate storytelling and practical guidance make this book a memorable standout."
—Maryfran Johnson, Editor in Chief, CIO magazine and events, an IDG company