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Business performance management

Practical resources and support to help you improve the performance of your organisation. Use our selection of guides, tools, books and articles to find more information on all aspects of managing business performance.
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Latest on performance management

Read our latest features and articles on business performance management.
How to track your invoices and debtors effectively
  • Article
  • 27 Sep 2023
41% of finance leaders identify a lack of visibility over their accounts receivables as their company’s top challenge in better managing cash flow (Bottomline).
PIE audit market dynamics under the spotlight
  • Article
  • 15 Aug 2023
Amid policymaker concerns about the resilience of the market, lowering existing barriers to entry is key, alongside audit committees and shareholders being more open to PIEs using a broader field of players.
Investors remain cautious – but have money to spend
  • Article
  • 30 May 2023
Differentiation, IP, barriers to entry, market outlook and resilience are just some of the issues investors will want the lowdown on for companies seeking equity investment.
Service performance reporting in the public sector
  • Article
  • 09 Nov 2022
In New Zealand, a shift away from the terminology of inputs, outputs and outcomes to allow public sector organisations to choose how to tell their service performance stories is boosting accountability.
Taking an integrated approach to sustainability
  • Article
  • 12 Jan 2022
The impact of digitisation, water scarcity and climate change on Yara, a global fertiliser company, was the trigger for a review of its key performance indicators.
Climate risk is an “inescapable” part of chartered accountants’ remit
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2021
For those looking to future-proof their career, being able to embed climate change and wider sustainability issues into business strategy and planning, risk management, procurement and performance management is essential.
COVID drives huge variations in business performance
  • Article
  • 19 May 2021
The UK economy can be divided into three segments, depending on how businesses have coped with the pandemic, as Metro Bank’s local director in Cambridge explains.
Exclusive What is open book management?
  • Article
  • 17 May 2021
We look at the management style that gives everyone in the business a say
Read more

Topics in depth

Business men talking about shop layout retail
Balanced scorecard
Use our selection of books, articles, links and guides to find more information and guidance on the balanced scorecard.
Green yellow and red peppers at supermarket
Benchmarking
Use our selection of books, articles, links and guides to find more information and guidance on using benchmarking.
Designer in studio small business
BPM tools, templates and case studies
Tools, templates and case studies to help you manage your business's performance.
Smiling business women working together on contract documents
KPIs
Gain insights and inform decision-making with these essential business tools.
Lorry driving down road
Purchasing and supply chain management
Our resources can help you with finding and managing suppliers, purchasing, managing stock and planning for supply chain disruption.
Apple pay iphone retail shopping
Sales and marketing
Increase your sales and brand impact.

Reports

Exclusive Business Ecosystems: A Guide
  • Report
  • 2021
The term ecosystem is regularly bandied about in business conversations. But what does it mean and is it a useful metaphor for improving business performance?
Special report 60: Communication skills
  • Report
  • 2018
  • PDF (2,459kb)
This report seeks to assist with some of the more pertinent reporting needs for busy finance executives at all levels.
Finance business partnering - a guide
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2018
  • PDF (2,833kb)
This report provides practical advice for those considering business partnering initiatives and those looking to improve their approach.
Business Performance Management: When not to measure
  • Report
  • 2017
  • PDF (1,936kb)
This report sets out a series of ways in which we can better understand performance management and control, extending beyond the naturally dominant themes of measurement and key performance indicators (KPIs). Sometimes we may have to confront, and accept, that not everything relevant can be measured
Exclusive Special Report 54: Pricing
  • Report
  • 2016
  • PDF (3,771kb)
This quarter's report deals with the practical aspects of pricing strategy, from market positioning of new products to through to those at the end of their life cycle.
Exclusive Special Report 53: Financial strategy: forecasting issues
  • Report
  • 2016
  • PDF (3,848kb)
This quarterly report discusses high level issues surrounding forecasting - the risk and rewards of making them and global issues which may affect your forecasts.
Finding your organisation's critical success factors
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 2015
In this practical workshop guide, David Parmenter explains how to identify the CSFs in your organisation.
Exclusive Re engineering the planning system
  • Helpsheets and support
  • 2015
Annual planning as businesses use it today is one of the greatest mistakes organisations have made since 1494.
More reports

Webinars

How to increase budgetary impact without spending more money
  • Webinar
  • 16 Nov 2021
This webinar will focus on some of the key procurement practices and mindsets essential for getting maximum value and reliability from your suppliers.
It’s time for chartered accountants to save the world
  • Video
  • 30 Apr 2021
Chartered accountants must understand their unique role in making a sustainable future happen, argues Peter Bakker, CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Modern slavery: how to prepare a s54 statement
  • Webinar
  • 17 Mar 2021
This webinar explains Pentland's approach to preparing the section 54 statement.
Are your procurement activities adding value in 2021 and beyond?
  • Webinar
  • 19 Feb 2021
This webinar explores the latest innovations in procurement and supply chains, and how to drive and improve your performance.
5144 reasons you should take the Modern Slavery Act seriously
  • Webinar
  • 01 Dec 2020
Nick Wildgoose, a supply chain risk management expert, provides a brief background on the Act itself and international context and potential developments.
Supply chain assurance in the retail sector
  • Webinar
  • 16 Oct 2020
Abigail Harper talks through a risk-based approach to providing supply chain assurance within the retail sector.
More webinars

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Data visualization with Excel dashboards and reports
  • 2021
  • Dick Kusleika
  • Wiley
Large corporations like IBM and Oracle are using Excel dashboards and reports as a Business Intelligence tool, and many other smaller businesses are looking to these tools in order to cut costs for budgetary reasons.
Exclusive Key performance indicators: developing, implementing and using winning KPIs
  • 2020
  • David Parmenter
  • Wiley
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help define and measure the organizational goals which are fundamental to an organization's current and future success. This book provides a model for simplifying the complex areas of KPIs while helping organizations avoid common mistakes and hazards.
Exclusive M is for (data) monkey: the Excel Pro's definitive guide to Power Query
  • 2015
  • Ken Puls, Miguel Escobar
  • Holy Macro! Books
Power Query is one component of the Power BI (Business Intelligence) product from Microsoft, and "M" is the name of the programming language created by it. This book shows how to use the Power Query tool to get difficult data sets into both Excel and Power Pivot, and is solely devoted to Power Query dashboarding and reporting.
Exclusive Mapping workflows and managing knowledge: capturing formal and tacit knowledge to improve performance
  • 2012
  • John L. Kmetz
  • Business Expert Press
Knowledge management for managers and supervisors.
Exclusive Lean Six Sigma for dummies
  • 2012
  • John Morgan, Martin Brenig-Jones
  • John Wiley and Sons
A guide to the Lean Six Sigma management model.
Exclusive Key performance indicators: developing, implementing and using winning KPIs
  • 2010
  • David Parmenter
  • John Wiley and Sons
A manager's guide to implementing KPIs.
Exclusive First-time manager's guide to performance appraisals, The
  • 2008
  • Diane Arthur
  • Amacom
Guide to performance appraisals from a US perspective.
Exclusive Business process management and the balanced scorecard
  • 2007
  • Ralph F. Smith
  • Wiley
Shows managers how to optimally use the balanced scorecard to achieve strategic success.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive Should AI make layoff decisions?
  • 01 Jul 2023
  • Dave Zielinksi
Research shows more HR leaders are using algorithms to recommend workforce reductions based on employee performance. Typical algorithms might evaluate skills data, performance data, work status data (e.g., full-time, part-time or contractor), and attendance data. But researchers say HR professionals also need to have a good understanding of performance aspects that algorithms might miss.
Exclusive Traditional vs contemporary management accounting practices
  • 01 Jun 2023
  • Lu Jiao, Kevin Baird, Abubakar Nuraddeen Nuhu
Results of a survey examining the direct and moderated effects of traditional and contemporary management accounting practices on organizational performance and competitive advantage. The survey investigated the effectiveness of several practices, including: capital budgeting, standard costing, activity-based management, balanced scorecard and strategic cost management.
Exclusive Dashboards: From performance art to decision support
  • 01 May 2023
  • Neil Hoyne, David Reibstein, Koen Pauwels
Dashboards are a common tool for managers to monitor a company's performance. But what is the real use of these dashboards? It may be slightly astonishing that Google Chief Measurement Strategist Neil Hoyne is no fan of dashboards, but he believes they can be toxic when taken out of context. In this interview, he explains his scepticism of monitoring the same KPIs quarter after quarter and suggests different ways to make dashboards more strategically useful to companies.
Exclusive Nurturing the UK's innovation ecosystem
  • 07 Feb 2023
  • Sebastian Klovig Skelton
Andrew Roughan, CEO of technology innovation hub Plexal, discusses how tech startups collaborate with the UK government to transform public services, the barriers to entry, and how the process can be improved.
Exclusive Scale up smarter
  • 01 Jan 2023
  • Dave Harutian
A company's execution strategy should adapt to the circumstances. Here's how to grow your business today with an eye toward tomorrow.
Exclusive SPC software: Enables real-time process management
  • 01 Nov 2022
  • Paul Keller
A statistical process control (SPC) control chart is a key process management tool, providing indication if a manufacturing process is predictable and consistently capable of meeting requirements. The article explains how SPC software can be used to construct and update the control chart instantaneously.
More articles

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on business performance management. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).
Cost accounting: a managerial emphasis
  • 2018
  • C.T. Hongren
  • Pearson
This book focuses on how cost accounting helps managers make better decisions, with chapters on topics including activity-based costing, activity-based management, inventory costing, balanced scorecard, cost management, transfer pricing and performance measurement.
The Employer's Handbook 2017-2018
  • 2017
  • B.Cushway
  • Kogan Page
This fully updated edition covers recruitment, contracts, benefits, performance management, maternity and paternity rights, personnel records and data protection, terminating employment, and ensuring the health, safety and welfare of employees and pension obligations. It also provides access to a unique set of downloadable templates, forms and policy documents for dealing with key employment issues.
SWOT analysis: a guide to SWOT for business studies students
  • 2016
  • A. Sarsby
  • Spectaris
A short guide to SWOT analysis as a strategy tool, aimed at students of business studies. It includes worked examples, case studies, and practical tips.
Preparing your business for sale
  • 2016
  • Indicator FL Memo
  • Indicator FL Memo
Appendices include: SWOT analysis; SWOT chart; customer credit control checklist; P/E factors and company valuation data; election for entrepreneurs' relief to apply to qualifying corporate bonds; election for incorporation relief not to apply; non-disclosure agreement for a contractor; business model canvas; and due diligence checklist of questions.
Measurement madness: recognising and avoiding the pitfalls of performance management
  • 2014
  • D.Gray
  • John Wiley & Sons
This book should help you to recognise, correct and even avoid common performance measurement pitfalls.
Performance management
  • 2014
  • L. Ashdown
  • Kogan Page
This book explores the key aspects of managing performance and identifies how performance management can be used to support organisations in achievement of their goals.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources

Centre for Business Performance
  • Centre for Business Performance
Based at the Cranfield School of Management, the Centre for Business Performance specialises in the design, implementation, use and ongoing maintenance of performance measurement and management systems.
International Society for Performance Improvement
  • ISPI
The ISPI website includes a wealth of information, including the full text of its online magazine PerformanceXpress and a useful online bookstore focusing on specialist titles in this area.
Essential guide to key performance indicators
  • Atom Content Marketing
Identifying and monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) helps you focus on the areas that really matter to your business.
Overview guide: ISO 9000
  • Atom Content Marketing
A short guide to ISO 9000, a set of international standards designed to help businesses meet the needs of customers while meeting regulatory and statutory requirements.
Be the Business - UK
  • GOV.UK
Free mentoring and online support to help SME business leaders improve the performance of their businesses. Supported by the UK government.
Topic overview: SWOT analysis
  • Atom Content Marketing
A short guide to SWOT analysis - a tool for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your business, as well as the opportunities and threats it faces.
Real business stories
  • Be The Business
Read and watch stories collated by the 'Be the Business' website, highlighting how UK businesses have faced challenges and improved performance. Find out how a wide variety of UK businesses are tackling the issues, problems and challenges central to business improvement.
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