News & Information - The Mercury - March 2009 Mercury

	Army Medicine Strategy Map: A Living Document. (AMEDD Graphic)

Medical Command leaders expect that cascading the Army Medicine Balanced Scorecard (BSC) to MEDCOM's major subordinate commands (MSC) will better align the entire organization towards achieving its overarching strategic objectives. This vertical alignment was directed by MEDCOM Commander and Army Surgeon General LTG Eric Schoomaker last April in strategic planning guidance. The first of 11 MSC BSC alignment briefings was presented in September by MG Russell Czerw, commander of the AMEDD Center and School. BG Steve Jones, commander of Pacific Regional Medical Command, presented the last alignment briefing December 23.

"The Balanced Scorecard communicates the Army chief of staff's imperatives, The Surgeon General's strategic vision and goals, and the Army Medical Department's strategy to our staff. We use the tool to focus our efforts towards accomplishing our mission, monitor our progress in reaching our goals, and continuously improve our performance," Jones explained in a statement on the PRMC Website.

"Our strategic planning efforts are more akin to running a marathon than running a sprint," Schoomaker said.

"The Surgeon General likes to use the muddy stream analogy," said LTC Rex Berggren, MEDCOM's chief of strategic planning. "Sometimes our organization can appear mired and moving in multiple, random directions. The Balanced Scorecard is our way of getting everyone moving in the same direction; gathering momentum as we go."

Schoomaker will start taking briefings from corps chiefs in 2009, to include the Civilian and Enlisted Corps. In addition, as he visits medical treatment facilities and MSC subordinate commands (Tier 3), he will talk about their Strategy Maps and Scorecards, to include alignment of their measures, targets and initiatives with their MSC and the Army Medicine BSC.

Schoomaker has indicated that what is most important is having every member of the command understand how he or she supports the BSC.

"I'm convinced that as we are presented with new and often unpredictable challenges, it is a BSC-like approach which will keep us focused on what is most needed in the AMEDD. Let's keep this momentum going forward and involve every member of the team," he said.

Additional information about the AMEDD Balanced Scorecard is available online at https://ke2.army.mil/bsc (AKO account required). (MEDCOM Office of Strategy and Innovation)

From the March 2009 Mercury, an Army Medical Department publication.