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Release 2011-02-28: Pareto Analysis

Scorecard Improvements

• Added an optional Pareto analysis and Variance analysis to each process and metric review (on the Process Review screen).
• "Tactic Assigned" and "Review Overdue" messages are now generated for process improvements and corrective actions as well as tactics.
• Now everyone has access to the Load Metric screen (formerly only the Application Manager had access).  It works like the Batch Data Load screen except it only loads one metric at a time and it's designed to be used by cutting and pasting data directly from your spreadsheet into the system.  This makes it even easier for each metric reporter to enter their own data (and historical data too).  Look for the little blue load link next to your favorite (non-batch-loaded) metrics on the Business Unit screen.

Usability Improvements

• Made Metric Subsets stickier - now editing a metric or updating a review leaves you in the subset you were in.  Editing a process or function or clicking something in the left-hand navigation still pops you out of the subset.
• The subset name now appears at very top of the screen, making it more obvious and mirroring the way the Function View works.
• Changed name of "Scorecards" and "Plans" section in left-hand navigation to "My Scorecards" and "My Plans" for clarity.
• (Brief) message on each user's home page announces the new release.

Security Improvements

• We now store each password using multiple rounds of SHA-512 hashing with unique salt for each user, which is currently state-of-the art for making passwords "unrecoverable."
• This increases the maximum password length.  All alphabets of the Unicode Basic Multilingual Plane (BMP) are still supported in both the password and user ID (and every other field in the system).
• We have also improved our password requirements (to encourage people to make better passwords), by adding several popular passwords to the list of reserved words and by prohibiting 4 or more of the same character in a row (e.g. 1111, AaAa, etc.).
• To take advantage of the new storage you must change your password.
• Ninety days after this release, anyone who hasn't changed their password yet will be forced to change it.
• It is still each user's responsibility to use a unique password for every account, to make each password strong, unguessable, compliant with their organization's security guidelines, and to keep each password secret, never sharing it or their account with others for any reason.
• PlanBase is continually looking for ways to improve security, not just password security.  PlanBase encourages people to use good passwords by having password requirements, by making helpful suggestions, and by storing passwords securely.  But even PlanBase cannot protect you against a hacker outright guessing your password (on the first try), or stealing a reused password from another site and using it to access this one.  Only you can choose a unique, unguessable password for each of your accounts and store them securely.  Please do your part to keep your account, your company, and PlanBase applications secure.

Release 2011-01-10: Scorecard Metric Subsets

• Each entity, function, or process owner can now create their own subset of metrics that are most important to them and navigate the Scorecard system showing only that subset. The new Edit Metric Subset screen makes it easy to select your favorite metrics. Any combination of metrics (within an entity) is allowed in a subset.
• The Heat Map screen now suppresses (or at least dramatically shrinks) columns that have no metrics in them.
• The old system of calling some metrics Entity KPIs or Function KPIs has been converted to the new system such that all the old Entity KPIs have been moved to the Metric Subset of the entity owner and the Function KPIs have been moved to the Metric Subsets of the function owners. The new system only allows one subset per-person per-entity and generally only entity or function owners can have their own subset.
• Tip: Inform your direct reports that you will use your subset to review their progress.

Release 2010-12-13: Hoshin/Scorecard Integration

In the works for months, this is a major release with a number of important enhancements.

Tactic Improvements

• Improved visual management of tactics, process improvements, and corrective actions.  Months are now color coded based on progress.  Question-marks, dashes, and colorful symbols show the current status or indicate overdue reviews.
• Tactics can now be shared between strategies in Hoshin plans and processes in scorecards.
• Tactic Assigned and Review Overdue messages now apply to process improvements and corrective actions as well as tactics.
• Monthly reviews for tactics.  All your previous data is saved and can be reviewed monthly.
• The Edit Tactic screen has been completely redesigned to require fewer keystrokes to enter or edit tactics.  Related tactics can be added with a single click.
• The Tactic Complete logic mirrors the Strategy Complete logic, but does not require manager approval.
• Tactics (including process improvements and corrective actions) are now visible until they are complete.

Other Improvements

• Objectives and strategies can now be linked to your entities and functions in Scorecard.  This allows you to jump between your related plans and scorecards with a single click.
• You can still add text "tags" to objectives and strategies, then filter by those tags on the Plan Status screen.
• Users of Hoshin and Scorecard can set a lowest-level strategy to improve a process, allowing you to share tactics and metrics with that process by picking them from a list.  This eliminates time and effort when developing and reviewing plans.
• The Process Review screen functions like a dynamic A3 chart, showing all process improvement tactics and metric corrective action tactics together, even if some of those tactics were originally entered in Hoshin and others in Scorecard.  The new display includes color-colored months, showing the progress of process improvement and corrective action tactics over time.
• Similarly, the Implementation Review screen has been improved to color-code each month of tactic progress.
• Hoshin-only users can now see the Entity and Function screens (minus any targets or actuals).
• The Responsibilities screens for Hoshin and Scorecard have been combined.
• A new Show Me feature adds a collection of short e-learning modules for features of the Hoshin and Scorecard applications.
• The left-hand navigation pages for Hoshin and Scorecard have been combined.  Only the bottom section that shows your plans or scorecards now changes with respect to which product you are viewing.  The link to switch between views is now at the top of that section.
• Mail is addressed differently to make it more likely for the Application Manager to receive returned mail or any replies to application-generated mail.

Release 2010-04-30: Strategy End-Status Approval

Ending a strategy eliminates the need to review it in subsequent quarters. There are three ways to end a strategy; it can be Completed, Canceled, or put On Hold. Choosing one of these statuses from the Review Status screen may end the strategy immediately, or starting with this release, it may require approval from the owner of the objective above your strategy in the plan similar to the way Creation Statuses are approved, depending on how your company is configured.



This release also adds new Activity radio buttons to the Review Status screen for selecting whether the strategy is Active, Completed, On Hold, or Canceled. This new control will put the right status in the Concern for Future drop-down for you.

• Active: This strategy is currently being pursued.


• Complete: Marking a strategy complete signifies that all actions have been completed and all improvements are sustainable.  This success-status will show up for all future review periods and will not require additional reviews, but it is prudent to check on the metrics for this strategy from time to time to ensure that the progress is maintained.


• On Hold: The strategy is not currently being pursued, but is likely to be pursued again some time in the future.  The hold-status will show up for all future review periods and will not require additional reviews.


• Canceled: The strategy is no longer being pursued.  The canceled status will show up for all future review periods and will not require additional reviews.

There are three levels of End-Status Approval configuration. Ask your support contact to configure this for your company:

• None: No approvals are required. This is the default, what all users have now.


• Completed Only: Approvals are only required for the completed status.  This status is configurable individually because you may wish to continue to monitor a completed strategy to be sure the improvement is sustainable.


• All: Completed, On Hold, and Canceled statuses all require approval.

If you are reviewing a top-level objective, or you own the objective above your strategy in a plan (thus making you the approver) it will never require approval.

When marking a strategy Completed you will have an easier time getting it approved if you enter the reason you believe that the improvements you achieved are sustainable, since that is how the reviewer will evaluate your request for completion.  Reviewers may ask owners to monitor and review a strategy for another few months before allowing them to mark it Completed.  When a strategy is put On Hold or Canceled, it is usually much more cut-and-dry and the approval process (if enabled) can be as much about notifying the boss of the change as is it is about getting approval.

Strategy Complete

Creation Statuses Renamed

The labels that identify the specific strategy creation stage have been changed to be more descriptive:

• Awaiting Approval (formerly called, "Complete") - The owner of this objective has added metrics and strategies (or tactics) and indicated that it is ready to be approved, but has not received management approval yet.


• Being Defined (formerly called, "In Process") - Metrics and strategies (or tactics) have been added to this objective, but the owner has not yet sent it for approval.


• Missing Metrics and/or Strategies/Tactics (formerly called, "Not Started") - This identifies an objective or strategy that does not contain at least one metric and one child strategy or tactic.

You may also filter by any of the above labels on the Plan Status screen.

Final Strategy Statuses

Another enhancement to PlanBase Hoshin enables owners of specific strategies and tactics to mark certain strategies as completed, thus bypassing review-overdue reminders. The Concern for the Future field reflects the owner's expectations about a strategy over the next period. Now it can also show if a strategy has been completed, canceled, or put on hold:

• Complete: Marking a strategy complete signifies that all actions have been completed and all improvements are sustainable. This success-status will show up for all future review periods and will not require additional reviews, but it is prudent to check on the metrics for this strategy from time to time to ensure that the progress is maintained.


• On Hold: The strategy is not currently being pursued, but is likely to be pursued again some time in the future. The hold-status will show up for all future review periods and will not require additional reviews.


• Canceled: The strategy is no longer being pursued. The canceled status will show up for all future review periods and will not require additional reviews.

Statuses show up for the review period they are entered for (quarter or month) except for the Completed, On Hold, and Canceled statuses which are "sticky" and show up for all future time periods. You can overwrite a sticky status at any time in the future and doing so will return the strategy to its normal one-status-per-review-period mode.

Customize Your PlanBase System

We have had many requests to customize PlanBase to allow for easier adoption of the system by more employees. Customization includes adding your company logo or changing specific labels to match your internal terminology. In PlanBase Scorecard, you may now customize the labels, "Business Unit", "Function", and several of the labels on the Financial Review screen. We even let you change the name of PlanBase Hoshin to whatever you want (Strategy Deployment, Goal Achievement, Quality Function Deployment, etc.)