Management theory and practice have long established a link between effective performance measures and effective management (Drucker, 1995). The effectiveness of any given performance measure depends on how it will be used. For performance measures to have meaning and provide useful information, it is necessary to make comparisons. The comparisons may evaluate progress in achieving given goals or targets, assess trends in performance over time, or weigh the performance of one organization against another (Poister, 2003).

This publication from APQC is a primer on benchmarking that explains the process in easily understood terms. Use it as a quick reference guide for details on each step of the benchmarking process. Economically distribute this publication through your organization for informational purposes, to reinforce previous learning, or as a take-away after training. * Please note that there is a fee associated with this reference material.

Benchmarking is an old idea with a new slant toward performance improvement. Learning from other companies to improve the practices of your own is not just making site visits or talking to other companies about how they operate. It's a disciplined process requiring careful research and analysis. Find out who should benchmark, how to benchmark, and what to do with the benchmarked data once you've collected it. *Please note there is a fee associated with this online training course.

This Connected Learning (TM) course includes: -Benchmarking Strategies -Planning a Benchmarking Project -Process Mapping for Benchmarkers -Collecting Data -Analyzing Data -Implementing Best Practices -Benchmarking Code of Coduct * Please note that there is a fee associated with this reference material.

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