The Performance Management Revolution

Chapter 5. Draw an Accountability Map

The key to extracting tangible and sustainable value from EPM going forward lies in focusing on five key activities: drawing an accountability map of your organization, achieving Information Democracy, building an EPM Center of Excellence, standardizing and consolidating EPM tools, and deploying an EPM system. Over the next five chapters, I will focus on each of these activities in detail. First up is drawing an accountability map.

Most executives and managers agree that defining the flow of information in their organizations and eliminating bottlenecks is a vital corporate discipline that can improve decision‐making, efficiency, and performance by ensuring a common understanding of goals and accountability. Many, however, admit to falling short of that goal—and that's not surprising. It is one of the most complex tasks in modern management.

It's complex because in many organizations today, the distance from the executive suite to the front lines can be layers deep and thousands of miles long. Goals defined by top management can quickly become blurred, diluted, or even lost on their way, leaving tactical managers entirely in the dark. A sales organization, for example, may continue to focus on increasing penetration into existing accounts long after corporate strategy has shifted to expanding the customer base. The strategy may be excellent, but may fail because it has not been effectively communicated.

The challenge is compounded when the separate ...