The use of cooperative visualization in the enhancement of corporate planning in small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) significantly contribute to the majority of national economies. Often they are confronted with difficulties. This paper reports on a project that was carried out in order to help managers of small and medium-sized enterprises to improve managerial processes. This work proposes a visual model for diagnosing corporate planning in SMEs. Developed computer programs contain tests that allow collaborative examination of the state of planning in SMEs and visually analyzing the results. By using this model, managers of small and medium-sized enterprises in collaboration with experts can improve corporate planning. The proposed visual model was tested in small and medium-sized enterprises and proved to be valuable for enhancing corporate planning. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006.