Create visual strategy maps to showcase your strategy interactively
A strategy map is a diagram that is used to document the primary strategic goals being pursued by an organization, collaborative, or team.
Most Strategy Maps will have less than 20 Results and Programs. While a map can hold more than 20 objects, doing so causes it to be less coherent; reducing its value.
In the Clear Impact Scorecard, the Strategy Map module is used to display and organize Results and Programs from a Scorecard. If you would like to add additional objects to a Strategy Map, you will need to add them to the Scorecard for that Strategy Map.
Clicking on the Results or Programs while the Strategy Map is not in edit mode will open the presentation view for that object. This makes the Strategy Map a simple and easy way to navigate through your strategy.
The first time you open a Strategy Map for a scorecard, the Results and Programs will be stacked on top of each other, ready to be organized. You may add additional boxes, arrows, and images to the Strategy Map to customize it to fit your needs.
Security
All users that have access to a Scorecard may view the Strategy Map for that Scorecard. To edit a Strategy Map, a user will need the Add/Edit Scorecard Objects permission.
Strategy Map Interface
1. Strategy Map icon and Scorecard Name - The Strategy Map icon indicates whether the Scorecard you are currently viewing is in Strategy Map mode. Clicking on this icon will allow you to view this same set of information in a Scorecard format or as a Gantt Chart.
2. Viewing controls - These buttons control the zooming views on your strategy map. Pressing Reset will change your view back to where it originally was.
3. Export button - Here, you can export the Strategy Map into various formats, including: PDF, Jpeg, PNG, and more.
4. Options menu - This option allows you to access the embed option for this Strategy Map. Note: this option only appears if Embed is enabled for this Scorecard.
5. Edit - This button switches the Strategy Map into Edit mode. For details on Edit mode, see below. This option only appears for users with the Add/Edit Scorecard Objects role.
6. Results - Results display in the Strategy Map as a Green box by default. Clicking on the Result will open the Result presentation view in another browser tab.
7. Arrow - Arrow connecters may be added between objects while in Edit mode. These connecters are arbitrary and do not represent actual relationships in the Clear Impact Scorecard software. They are intended only for showcasing linkages between Results and Programs.
8. Programs - Programs display in the Strategy Map as a Blue box by default. Clicking on the Program will open its presentation view in another browser tab.
Strategy Map Edit Mode
1. Strategy Map icon - The Strategy Map icon indicates whether the Scorecard you are currently viewing is in Strategy Map mode. Clicking on this icon will allow you to view this same set of information in a Scorecard format or as a Gantt Chart.
2. Scorecard name - The name of the Scorecard you are currently viewing as a Strategy Map.
3. Cancel - The Cancel button will close the Strategy Map edit mode and discard any changes you have made.
4. Refresh - The Refresh button will scan your Strategy Map and add any missing Results or Programs that were removed or added to the Scorecard. This option will not change the arrangement of your existing Results or Programs.
5. Save - The Save button will save your map while allowing you to continue to work. The Save and Exit button will save all of your changes and exit the Edit mode.
6. Strategy Map menu - provides you access to additional options related to the objects on the canvas. In these menus, you can flip object orientations, open/close the format panel (right side, see #8), arrange what layer objects are on, and much more.
7. Objects pane - This pane is on the left side gives you access to additional shapes and arrows that you may add to your Strategy Map. To add an object just click and drag it onto the canvas.
8. Format pane - This is closed by default. It may be accessed from the View menu, and gives you access to change text, background, and other size and color formatting options.
9. Canvas - The canvas appears in the middle of the page. Objects that display on this canvas become part of the Strategy Map itself. Drag items around and resize them to change the Strategy Maps.
Methodology Based Advice
The Strategy Map feature is a free-form drag and drop editor that can be easily adapted to fit many different methodologies, including Logic Models and Balanced Scorecard.
Tips for creating a Balanced Scorecard Strategy Map
- Balanced Scorecard Strategy Maps utilize perspectives. While Clear Impact Scorecard does not have built-in perspectives, you can easily add them visually by dragging rectangles onto the canvas, making them large, and giving them titles.
- BSC Strategy Maps should have Results at the top and Programs at the bottom as a rule of thumb.
Tips for creating a Logic Model using the Strategy Map module
- If your organization exclusively refers to strategy maps as logic models you will likely want to change the language in the language editor to be more clear.
- A logic model is usually read left to right, so arranging the Programs to the left side and Results to the right side will provide an input-output design.
- You can add additional boxes to the Strategy Map to categorize the Programs and Results into Inputs, Outputs, and Outcomes/Impact.