What is Benchmarking?
Using Benchmarking techniques, companies share non-public performance information to identify the operational processes that really work. They begin by measuring each others operating data, identifying the best performer out of a group, then adapting the practices that make them the best. Benchmarking provides the participants with the guidance they need to make informed business decisions. Besides the need to improve many managers are using benchmarking to gain an understanding that they are doing everything that they can be doing for their organizations. Benchmarking creates a non-threatening environment to review all the possible areas for improvement.
Benchmarking is both a project and a process. As a project it is a one time event; as a process it is continual and integrated into the daily operations of the organization. Team members get most of the value out of a study by understanding day to day operations. Leading organizations also involve front line management in the process. You will find Benchmarking to be a hunt for opportunities. Each organization, even the best, will always have some activities that fall short of highest performance. Measuring performance becomes the first step in the analysis we call Benchmarking. By identifying the gap between your performance and others, you can then peel back the layers of an organization to understand the processes that drive excellence.
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