This case study shows how a diversified real estate group implemented BSC Designer to cascade strategy across multiple business units, integrate their existing Excel workflows, and achieve measurable improvements in alignment, visibility, and governance.
Strategic Trends in Real Estate
The real estate sector is entering a period of rapid transformation driven by shifting investment models, regulatory pressures, and technology adoption. Strategic planning is no longer limited to portfolio management — it must now address sustainability goals, data integration, cross-functional alignment, and growing stakeholder complexity.
- The need for quality reporting and transparency is increasing — for investors, regulators and stakeholders — especially around risk (interest-rates, vacancy, asset quality) which amplifies the planning and analytics burden. 1
- Multi-stakeholder ecosystems (developers, asset managers, investors, ESG teams, operations) are growing in real-estate, increasing coordination complexity and putting pressure on integrated strategic planning across units. 2
- Capability gaps in strategic planning — many real-estate firms report they lack the data infrastructure, integrated planning processes and cross-business visibility needed to execute strategy in the current environment. 3
Company Background
The organization is a multi-branch real estate group operating in property construction, management, and sales. Before implementing BSC Designer, the group relied heavily on Excel and manual processes to track strategy execution. This made it difficult to:
- Maintain a consistent structure,
- Communicate strategic priorities across business units, and
- Ensure accountability.
The leadership team was seeking a way to create a more structured and transparent strategy execution process, without disrupting existing workflows. The chosen approach was to use BSC Designer to connect strategic planning at the group level with the operational reality of each business branch.
How the Strategy Was Cascaded Using BSC Designer
The implementation began with the creation of a master scorecard at the group level to consolidate core strategic objectives.
From there, strategy was cascaded into individual scorecards for construction, property management, and sales units.
This allowed each unit to manage its own objectives and KPIs while staying aligned with the overall corporate direction.
Key elements of the implementation included:
- Building a hierarchy of interconnected scorecards for clear alignment between corporate and operational strategies.
- Using Excel import/export templates to ease the transition from legacy reporting and reduce resistance to change.
- Customizing strategy maps to reflect each unit’s objectives while maintaining a consistent visual structure for reporting.
- Leveraging AI-assisted goal and KPI recommendations to speed up strategy development and standardize indicator selection.
- Designating internal master users to drive adoption, support their teams, and maintain data quality over time.
Measurable Outcomes From the Implementation
Within the first months of implementation, the company observed several clear outcomes:
- Improved strategic alignment. All business units now follow a single structured framework, with clearly defined objectives and measurable KPIs.
- Faster strategy communication. Strategy maps and dashboards are automatically generated and updated, making it easier to communicate progress to stakeholders.
- Increased data consistency. Centralized scorecards and standardized templates eliminated multiple versions of strategy spreadsheets and conflicting numbers.
- Better accountability. The platform’s user permissions clarified responsibilities and strengthened governance.
Governance and Data Security
The organization prioritized data control and security during implementation. BSC Designer’s architecture ensured:
- All data was stored in EU-based secure servers with the option for private hosting.
- Full data ownership remained with the client, with easy export and backup functionality.
- Strict role-based permissions limited access to sensitive data while enabling collaboration.
- AI integration was applied selectively, with anonymized and controlled data sharing.
How Strategy Execution Changed Across the Organization
The use of BSC Designer created tangible changes in how the organization manages and executes strategy:
- Strategy moved from being fragmented across spreadsheets to a unified, dynamic framework.
- Department heads gained real-time visibility into performance through customized dashboards.
- Cross-unit discussions became more evidence-based, supported by structured KPIs and initiatives.
- Strategic reporting cycles were shortened, enabling faster decision-making.
Key Success Factors
Several factors contributed to the successful implementation:
- Starting with clear strategic structure at the top level before cascading to units.
- Maintaining continuity through Excel integration to lower adoption barriers.
- Empowering internal champions to sustain the strategy management process.
- Leveraging platform customization to reflect the organization’s identity and processes.
How To Align Strategy in a Real Estate Company?
To summarize, this case shows a practical way to move from fragmented, spreadsheet-based planning to a coordinated strategy model that works across multiple business units.
- Define Group-Level Priorities First – Set the shared strategic objectives and desired outcomes before cascading them to units.
- Use a Standard Scorecard Structure – Keep the same framework in each business unit so they can align while still managing their own goals.
- Support the Transition With Familiar Tools – Import and export via Excel to lower friction and maintain data continuity during rollout.
- Use a Strategy Management Platform – A tool like BSC Designer helps maintain alignment, track KPIs, and support governance across all units.
BSC Designer is strategy execution software that enhances strategy formulation and execution through KPIs, strategy maps, and dashboards. Our proprietary strategy implementation system guides companies in practical application of strategic planning.