1-By Laksh, Enterprise, IT

Corporate Performance Management (CPM)

The definition of corporate performance management (CPM) has remained consistent since industry analysts Gartner Research introduced CPM in 2001.

“CPM is an umbrella term that describes all of the processes, methodologies, metrics and systems needed to measure and manage the performance of an organization.”

Despite this stability in definition, CPM as a practice has evolved greatly since 2001.

Many companies from the Global 3500 and major public sector organizations have embraced the vision of CPM. They understand the value of enabling and engaging everyone in an organization to manage the organization’s performance. They are deploying technologies and solutions to make that vision real.

These organizations understand how CPM can help them answer their fundamental business questions:

  • How are we doing?
  • Why?
  • What should we be doing?

Scorecarding, business intelligence, and planning and consolidation technologies answer these questions. The questions connect; CPM requires they not be stand-alone elements. Knowing what happened, without finding out why, is of little use to the business. Knowing why something happened, but being unable to plan and make the necessary changes is likewise of limited value.

Etc.

What Dell should do

The growth engine that Dell once was is sputtering. The degree of its troubles was made plain—yet again—on July 21, when the company said this quarter’s earnings would fall far short of analysts’ forecasts. Sales won’t meet expectations either.

It was the fourth time Dell (DELL) said it wouldn’t meet quarterly earnings or sales forecasts since the beginning of last year, and investors were incensed. Some registered dismay at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Austin the same day (see BusinessWeek.com, 7/21/06, “Dell’s Dull Meeting”). Dell shares dropped nearly 10% to $19.91, the lowest level in almost five years, and dragged shares of other computer makers, including Hewlett-Packard. The rout left the Nasdaq at a 14-month low.

Businessweek  has more on how Dell could revive its sagging fortunes.

Etc., Internet

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