Benchmarking - why do we do it?

Benchmarking is a careful search for excellence - taking the absolute best standard and trying to surpass it - and not many businesses are likely to succeed in the new millennium unless they are willing to do just that.

The experience of all businesses who’ve tried it shows that you can enormously improve quality in service and efficiency if you:

• Find examples of people or businesses anywhere in the world who do a truly excellent job in performing each of the jobs involved in their business.
• Study those examples with an open mind and a teachable spirit.
• Never assume that you’ve either found the best or become the best yourself.

Keep searching constantly for better ways.

Remember to ask yourself: “CAN I?” - Constant and Never-ending Improvement.

It’s a simple recipe. And a recipe for enormous power.

To find examples of businesses with excellent business practices, look for:

• Businesses that have won the Malcom Baldridge Award
• Businesses recognized by JD Power & Associates
• Businesses with higher than average earnings
• Businesses that are established leaders in their industry
• Businesses that are known for innovation and creativity

As a member of the Principa Alliance, an international network of business consultants, my goal is to help business owners and managers build a stronger, more profitable business - a business that is looking to constantly improve. In turn, these owners and managers enjoy a higher quality of life as a result.

When businesses work with a Principa Alliance member to improve their business, they gain access to a global knowledge base and a wealth of consulting experience that is so much more powerful than any one firm could offer.

In short, a Principa Alliance member can, and will, do so much more for a business than just keep the score.