Usually a senior manager, or even a CEO, he says, needs to align performance measurement with the company's goals. Altogether, Digman says, the software is only as good as the planning, the creative and different thinking, the education, and the strength of the champion. Nair puts the responsibility for success squarely in the corner office, noting that 50 percent of companies implementing strong performance management systems have failed. You need to be ready. You need the culture, the technological base, the process base.
Management needs to see measurement as a learning tool, related to both objectives and key results.
Steady, but Speedy Performance management software provides great potential for rethinking the entire enterprise, but IDC's Morris cautions companies to implement changes slowly. On the other hand, he adds, you can't wait too long to get started. The Internet speed at which most 21st century business takes place is helped a great deal by the advances in performance management software and its implementation. Cartesis's Giardina anticipates that within five years, real-time measurement will be available, allowing anyone in the corporation to understand the state of the business at any point in time. And clearly, in this market, the quicker the decision and the more agile the company, the better the success.