Michael J. Spendolini
Benchmarking has
been discussed, admired, and launched by many people in many organizations.
But when it comes down to actually carrying out the process, benchmarking
can quickly turn from a great idea to a great burden. The truth is, this
revolutionary process can be a complex, confusing task, if the would-be
benchmarkers don't know where to start.
In The Benchmarking Book, Michael J. Spendolini, one of the original
benchmarking proponents at Xerox, simplifies the whole process for you
by presenting a distillation of how the best benchmarking programs in
the United States are run. Spendolini went straight to highly successful
benchmarkers such as Boeing, AT&T, Du Pont, DEC, Motorola, 3M, Xerox and
many others. He researched their processes, their errors, and their breakthroughs,
and arrived at a universal model - a synthesis of the best ways to carry
out each step in the benchmarking process. In essence, the author benchmarked
the benchmarkers.
This synthesis of "lessons learned" provides you and your company with
a solid, practical platform from which to launch an effective benchmarking
program. Using everyday terms, the book covers every aspect of benchmarking,
from set-up to final results. The Benchmarking Book show you how to:
- Determine what
products or processes to benchmark so you don't focus on an area that's
either too broad or too narrow to be effective.
- Form a benchmarking
team using people that have the right mix of experience and analytical
skills.
- Identify benchmarking
partners that truly represent the "best-in-class" for exactly the product/process
you need to study. (You may even find these partners in a different
division of your own company.)
- Look outside your
industry for benchmark partners. Even through your company may produce
steel products, you may want to benchmark Federal Express for its outstanding
distribution and tracking systems.
- Collect benchmarking
information using personal interviews, site visits, surveys, and archive
research.
- Deal with the
many ethical issues that can arise when you get "insider" information
about another company.
- Analyze the data
you've gathered so that you finish up with pragmatic, relevant results.
Avoid the blood, sweat, and tears of trying to learn the intricacies of
benchmarking by trial and error. The Benchmarking Book puts together
the best ways to measure the best so you can spend less time wrestling
with the process and more time finding solutions.
Michael J. Spendolini, Ph.D., is founder and principal of MJS Associates,
an organizational development and training consulting firm in Laguna Beach,
California. He is also one of the managing directs of The Benchmark Partners,
Inc., located in Oak Brook, Illinois. Dr. Spendolini has held a number
of managerial positions at Xerox Corporation, and is a recognized expert
on total quality management and benchmarking. He received his Ph.D. from
the University of California, Irvine.