Benchmarking
Benchmarking (also "best practice benchmarking" or "process benchmarking") is a process used in management and particularly strategic management, in which organizations evaluate various aspects of their processes in relation to best practice, usually within their own sector. This then allows organizations to develop plans on how to adopt such best practice, usually with the aim of increasing some aspect of performance. Benchmarking may be a one-off event, but is often treated as a continuous process in which organizations continually seek to challenge their practices.
A process similar to benchmarking is also used in technical product testing and in land surveying. See the article benchmark for these applications.
Advantages of benchmarking
Benchmarking is a powerful management tool because it overcomes "paradigm blindness." Paradigm Blindness can be summed up as the mode of thinking, "The way we do it is the best because this is the way we've always done it." Benchmarking opens organizations to new methods, ideas and tools to improve their effectiveness. It helps crack through resistance to change by demonstrating other methods of solving problems than the one currently employed, and demonstrating that they work, because they are being used by others.
Competitive benchmarking
Some authors call benchmarking "best practices benchmarking" or "process benchmarking". This is to distinguish it from what they call "competitive benchmarking". Competitive benchmarking is used in competitor analysis. When researching your direct competitors you also research the best company in the industry (even if it serves a different location).
ADVANTAGE OF THE BENCHMARKING FOR A COMPANY:
1. A better understanding of the waits(expectations) of the customer because it is: based on the reality of the market estimated in a objectivist way
2. A better economic planning of the purposes and the objectives to achieve in the company because they are: centred on what takes place outside controlled and mastered.
3. A better increase of the productivity: resolution of the real problems Understanding of the processes and what they produce "
4. Better current practices Search for the change Many decisions practices of break
5. A better competitiveness thanks to: a solid knowledge of the competition a strong implication of the staff new ideas on practices and tried techniques
Benchmarking has consequences which are beyond the process itself: it reforms all the levels of the company.; modifies the process of manufacture of the product leads(drives) ; also reforms the hierarchical organization of the company, the product itself, and the state of mind of the employees.
Collaborative benchmarking
Benchmarking, originally invented as a formal process by Rank Xerox, is usually carried out by individual companies. Sometimes it may be carried out collaboratively by groups of companies (eg subsidiaries of a multinational in different countries). One example is that of the Dutch municipally-owned water supply companies, which have carried out a voluntary collaborative benchmarking process since 1997 through their industry association.
Procedure
- Identify your problem areas - Because benchmarking can be applied to any business process or function, a range of research techniques may be required. They include: informal conversations with customers, employees, or suppliers; exploratory research techniques such as focus groups; or in-depth marketing research, quantitative research, surveys, questionnaires, reengineering analysis, process mapping, quality control variance reports, or financial ratio analysis.
- Identify organizations that are leaders in these areas - Look for the very best in any industry and in any country. Consult customers, suppliers, financial analysts, trade associations, and magazines to determine which companies are worthy of study.
- Survey companies for measures and practices - Companies target specific business processes using detailed surveys of measures and practices used to identify business process alternatives and leading companies. Surveys are typically masked to protect confidential data by neutral associations and consultants.
- Visit the "best practice" companies to identify leading edge practices - Companies typically agree to mutually exchange information beneficial to all parties in a benchmarking group and share the results within the group.
- Implement new and improved business practices - Take the leading edge practices and develop implementation plans which include identification of specific opportunities, funding the project and selling the ideas to the organization for the purpose of gaining demonstrated value from the process.
Cost of benchmarking
Benchmarking is a moderately expensive process, but most organizations find that it more than pays for itself. The three main types of costs are:
- Visit costs - This includes hotel rooms, travel costs, meals, a token gift, and lost labour time.
- Time costs - Members of the benchmarking team will be investing time in researching problems, finding exceptional companies to study, visits, and implementation. This will take them away from their regular tasks for part of each day so additional staff might be required.
- Benchmarking database costs - Organizations that institutionalize benchmarking into their daily procedures find it is useful to create and maintain a database of best practices and the companies associated with each best practice now.
