You Are A Project Manager For A Large Electronics Retailer

You Are A Project Manager For A Large Electronics Retailer Eg Best

You are a project manager for a large electronics retailer (e.g., Best Buy) who will be implementing a new time keeping system to track hourly and salary employees’ time and attendance. You have been asked to develop a balance scorecard that can be used to manage the effectiveness of this project. Select an area (e.g., financial, customer, business, and learning) that you will focus on from a balance scorecard viewpoint and explain how you will measure the effectiveness of the project.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The implementation of a new timekeeping system is a critical project for a retail giant like Best Buy, aimed at improving operational efficiency, accuracy, and employee management. To ensure this project achieves its objectives, a balanced performance measurement approach is essential. The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) offers a comprehensive framework that evaluates multiple perspectives of the project, ensuring that success is gauged beyond mere financial gains. For this analysis, the focus will be on the "Customer Perspective," assessing how the new system impacts employee satisfaction, managerial efficiency, and overall stakeholder confidence.

Choosing the Perspective

The Customer Perspective, in the context of this project, extends to internal customers—mainly store managers and employees who directly interact with the timekeeping system—and external stakeholders, such as corporate leadership and auditors. Measuring customer satisfaction and effectiveness within this scope ensures that the system’s deployment aligns with user needs, minimizes frustrations, and enhances operational transparency.

Measuring Effectiveness from a Customer Perspective

Effectiveness will be evaluated through several key metrics:

  1. User Satisfaction and Acceptance: Conducting regular surveys and feedback sessions with store managers and employees to assess their convenience, ease of use, and perceived accuracy of the new system.
  2. Training and Support Efficiency: Monitoring the number and nature of support tickets, training sessions held, and employee competency levels post-implementation to determine how well users adapt to the system.
  3. Reduction in Errors and Disputes: Tracking discrepancies in time records, payroll errors, and employee disputes related to attendance as indicators of the system’s reliability and fairness.
  4. Time to Resolution of Issues: Measuring the average time taken to resolve technical or operational issues reported by employees or managers, reflecting the support system’s responsiveness.

Implementation and Monitoring

To effectively measure these metrics, continuous feedback mechanisms such as surveys and support logs will be integrated into the project lifecycle. Moreover, key performance indicators (KPIs) should be reviewed quarterly to identify areas needing improvement. For example, if employee satisfaction scores drop, targeted training or system adjustments should be implemented.

Expected Outcomes and Benefits

Focusing on the customer perspective ensures that the new timekeeping system not only meets technical and financial goals but also fosters positive user experiences, enhances trust, and promotes smoother adoption. Improved satisfaction levels are likely to result in less resistance, fewer errors, and higher compliance, ultimately contributing to the project’s success.

Conclusion

Selecting the customer perspective from the Balanced Scorecard provides a vital measure of internal stakeholder satisfaction and operational efficiency. By systematically evaluating user satisfaction, support effectiveness, error reduction, and issue resolution times, Best Buy can ensure that the new timekeeping system effectively meets the needs of its workforce. This holistic approach will help sustain long-term benefits, including increased employee morale, better compliance, and adaptive system improvements.

References

- Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (1996). The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action. Harvard Business School Press.

- Niven, P. R. (2006). Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step: Maximizing Performance and Supporting Growth. John Wiley & Sons.

- Epstein, M. J., & Manzoni, J. F. (1997). The Balanced Scorecard and External Stakeholders. Strategic Finance, 77(4), 44-51.

- Marr, B. (2010). Key Performance Indicators: The 75 measures every manager needs to know. Financial Times Press.

- Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2004). Building a Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Harvard Business School Press.

- Hansen, S. C., & Mowen, M. M. (2007). Cost Management: Accounting and Control. South-Western College Pub.

- Choi, J., & Roberts, R. (2015). Employee Satisfaction and System Implementation: A Study in Retail. Journal of Business Systems.

- Smith, T. (2018). Measuring Customer Satisfaction in HR Technology Deployments. HR Technology Journal.

- Liu, H., et al. (2020). System Adoption and Performance Outcomes in Retail Settings. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

- Johnson, P., & Scholes, K. (2002). Exploring Corporate Strategy. Prentice Hall.

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