Fourier Approach enterprise-wide performance management systems

Susan Andre2008

Fourier Approach continues to successfully support enterprise-wide performance management systems for a decade now.

Performance management means different things to different people. To many people it only mean individual performance review sessions based on subjective views of a supervisor, which were not necessarily aligned with what the individual thought was important and how it would be measured. Many years ago, however, Rummler and Brache have identified three levels of performance management, namely the organization, processes and only then the individual job level. Organization outputs are produced through processes of which the process steps in turn are performed and managed by individuals.

For the last decade Fourier Approach (http://www.fourier.co.za) has been involved in performance management projects at clients in various industries, ranging from measurements to manage workflow processes like the approval of home loan applications in banks to the monitoring of different processes in the facility management environment, such as the handling of work orders given different service level agreements. Wherever possible, the design of the performance management solution is normally based on a well designed data warehouse, based on the dimensional life cycle methodology of Ralph Kimball, from where measurements can be reported in a consistent manner. To ensure alignment to organization strategy, the Balanced Scorecard approach of Kaplan and Norton is also supported, often leading to a number of integrated data marts from where measurements supporting the different perspectives are calculated. Fourier believes that performance management at various levels is one of the more practical applications of business intelligence (BI) in any organization.

Fourier Approach has a strategic partnership with Alicornio Africa, who also believes strongly in the value of well designed data warehouses as the foundation for successful business intelligence solutions. As part of their educational drive in the field of BI, they have hosted a Master Class in Data Warehousing for many years in South Africa, and this year is no exception. Please visit https://www.alicornio.co.za/masterclass/masterclass.html to get more information regarding this event, which will take place in Cape Town this year, from 19 to 22 May 2008. Fourier is proud to support this event.

To contact Fourier Approach for more information around Performance Management at the different levels, Organization, Process, or People, please phone us on (012) 667-3232, or visit the website at www.fourier.co.za.