Report of Gigasoft Game

Report of Gigasoft Game

Our task from ‘Operation Management’ courses was to report about the analysis, lesson learn and findings based on BSC perspectives by playing simulation game. The main objective of the task was to see if we understand the concept of BSC and how to implemented it right.

In this simulation game, we played as a President of Sentra which is industry leader in data mining software. Data mining software is a software that allows people to drill-down into data to identify relationships that remain hidden on the surface. The primary market target for new software are engineers, business analyst, and IT professional (techies).

Sentra’s competitors are :

• Data Digger, the number two in industry, and a few other “also rans”.
• ExecuData, trying to introduce “friendly” data mining software to a secondary market made up of non-technical general managers (GMs).

Sentra currently just released their new version of its software. However, the reviewers have labeled the product’s techie features adequate, but not overwhelming. Still a far cry from the days when Sentra’s technical features defined the state-of-the-art in data mining software.

Steps in the balance scorecard (BSC) process are :

1. Asses your company’s strategy from the 4 perspectives, which are :

1. Financial
2. Customer
3. Internal Business Processes
4. Learning and Growth

1. Revise the strategy
2. Select Metrics

Step 1. Asess the company’s strategy from 4 perspectives :

1. Financial :

What are the financial goals :

• To double the revenue in the next 17 quarters or 4 years
• To reach break-even in Q3.
• To achieve at least 15% profit margin 2 years out.

1. Customer :

What are the customer goals :

• The primary target of Sentra is the techie segment.
• Sentra usually offered power features and excellent technical support for its customers.

1. Internal business processes :

What key processes that deliver value to the customer.

• Making the software : Usually in software industries, the idea of new product must come from the customer by complaints or by suggestion or by request. The ideas then collected by the company. After that the company evaluated then started to create new software.
• Beside making software, other key processes is after sales service or consultant : the company should provide good services for customer in case the customer have trouble implemented the new software or else.

1. Learning and Growth :

What skills needed to grow the business by delivering value to the customers :

• Because Sentra in the service industry, then the skills of customer service representatives are needed to be excellent.
• Infrastructure of IT also required for Sentra. It will need fast response and efficient communications between the programmer, customer and administration.

Step 2. Revise the strategy

Strategy of this company is to maintain the leading position as market leader in data mining software.

Based on step 1 then the strategy should be like picture below :