Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Plan
When planning a benchmarking effort, considerable thought should be
given to who is on the benchmarking team. In some cases, team members
will need to be trained in the different tools and techniques of the bench-
marking process.
The creation of a benchmarking plan is similar to the creation of a proj-
ect plan for a traditional systems development effort, with a few twists:
1. The scope of the benchmarking study needs to be established. All
projects must have boundaries. In this case, you will need to deter-
mine which departmental units and/or processes will be studied.
2. A purpose statement should be developed. This should state the mis-
sion and goals of the plan.
3. If benchmarking partners (i.e., other companies in your peer group-
ing who agree to be part of your effort) are to be used, specific cri-
teria for their involvement should be noted. In addition, a list of
any benchmarking partners should be provided. Characteristics of
benchmarking partners important to note include: policies and pro-
cedures, organizational structure, financials, locations, quality, pro-
ductivity, competitive environment, products/services.
4. Define a data collection plan and determine how the data will be
used, managed, and ultimately distributed.
5. Finally, your plan should discuss how implementation of any
improvements resulting from the benchmarking effort will be
accomplished.
Collect
The collection phase of a benchmarking effort is very similar to the
requirements-elicitation phase of software engineering. The goal is to col-
lect data and turn it into knowledge.
During the collection phase, the focus is on developing data collection
instruments. The most widely used is the questionnaire, with follow-up
telephone interviews and site visits. Other methods include interviewing,
observation, participation, documentation, and research.
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