About Artemis

Artemis International Corporation, a Strategy to Results™ company , is the world’s leading provider of investment planning and control solutions that help organizations execute strategy through balanced scorecard, and effective portfolio and project management. With almost 30 years experience in helping organizations around the world design and implement portfolio and project management solutions across all industry sectors, Artemis International Corporation has a unique track record and understanding of the challenges facing businesses today. Our Strategy to Results™ Solutions Framework adds value to companies by bringing clarity of direction, visibility and implementation capability to help transform their business strategy to results.

A survey in Fortune Magazine highlighted that less than 10% of strategies that are effectively formulated are effectively executed. Whilst formulating competitive strategy is very important and is the right thing to do, it does not guarantee success and results. “Strategy to Results™ for business excellence” is about having visibility for decisions, to ensure the effective execution of your competitive strategies to achieve business goals and performance.

This phase entails defining an organisation’s strategic destination, and articulating evidence of success within a given timeframe. An organisation’s strategic destination is usually expressed in its Mission and Vision statements, taking its organisational capabilities, environment and competition into account. The strategies formulated as a result reflect the organisation’s choice of actions that the senior management team thinks will bring the organisation to its strategic destination. This must create a sustainable competitive advantage for the organisation.

The Balanced Scorecard approach is a strategic management system focusing on delivering strategic performance and results. With the premise that measurement motivates behaviour, this systematic strategy implementation methodology communicates organisational priorities and direction. The approach also promotes consensus, teamwork and innovation.
The Balanced Scorecard approach translates the mission and vision of the organisation into linked strategic objectives in the financial, customer, internal processes as well as learning and growth perspectives, forming the strategy map. This visual map of organizational strategy communicates how the organisation intends to achieve its strategy. Each strategic objective has driver and outcome strategic measures, indicating the progress of the objective. Strategic Initiatives, or programs, are also aligned with each strategic objective to ensure that action is taken to close the gaps and achieve the respective strategic objectives. The prioritisation of these initiatives is usually done to test the strategic relevance of current programmes as well as to enable the process of budgeting to be conducted strategically.

Having a manual scorecard is like having a compass and map. Although it visually articulates the strategic direction and strategies, it does not bring the organisation any nearer to its strategic destination unless and until the organisation starts to “walk” its scorecards to implement its strategies, in the strategic learning phase. Strategic learning is a double loop process linking strategy and operations, and includes the deployment of the scorecard and cascading the balanced scorecard to the rest of the organisation.

According to analysts, most companies spend close to 40% of their capital budgets on investments that are not aligned with corporate strategies, primarily due to a lack of clarity and visibility of strategic and investment goals. To address this, strategic initiatives portfolio management ensures that each portfolio of strategic initiatives that helps the organisation in achieving its strategic objectives is systematically and consistently managed and executed.
This approach links and aligns every initiative directly to the achievement of strategic objectives as determined through the Balanced Scorecard. Initiative portfolio management also defines and manages a portfolio of strategic initiatives, ensuring that the correct mix of initiatives is initiated, grouped, resourced and managed, such that resources (finance and manpower) are prioritized and deployed to achieve the strategic objectives articulated. Very importantly, it must provide visibility to review portfolio performance in terms of milestone achievements, resource utilization and the achievement of payback and non-monetary benefits. Further, specific initiatives can be broken down into projects and linked to detailed project and resource planning and control.

An organization can only achieve its strategic objectives and create value if it is successful in completing projects that are derived from its strategic initiatives. Project and Resource Management is about the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities and resources to meet project requirements. It is accomplished through the use of processes such as initiation, planning, execution, control and closing.
Our solution includes setting up a Project Management Office to support successful project and resource management. The key areas for consideration encompass the structure, governance, roles and responsibilities, as well as the project management methodology. Our solution further includes project and resource management knowledge, skills and competencies as well as automation.
Projects form a critical link in an organisation’s value creation chain. By implementing Project and Resource Management, it will be able to reduce project risks, implement and deliver projects within budget, on schedule, with planned resources and meet quality specifications.

In summary, the Artemis Strategy to Results™ Roadmap is a complete model for strategy implementation. After articulating strategy, it uses the Balanced Scorecard approach and complements it with strategic initiatives portfolio management and project and resource management for effective results and performance.