by Bob Camp The business improvement topic and quality tool called benchmarking is becoming widely understood and broadly applied. There are now applica firms that tions in almost all segments of the economy including industrial either produce a product or a service, non-profit organizations such as healthcare, government and education. The approach is starting to spread around the globe with initiatives in Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. This is commendable and reassuring and must show that there is significant interest in the approach and that it works. What is missing, however, are books and reference material that are not solely prepared in the US where benchmarking started. Theses would include examples of applications relevant to the local area and industries. They would include references to articles written about benchmarking appearing in local publications. In this fashion those interested would have near hand case histories of the use of benchmarking and therefore become encouraged to use the technique. Zairi and Leonard have done the benchmarking community a real service by documenting the European view and application of benchmark ing to a wide range of examples. But they have not stopped there. Their text includes treatment of a number of related facets of benchmarking that makes this a fairly thorough text.

by Bob Camp The business improvement topic and quality tool called benchmarking is becoming widely understood and broadly applied. There are now applica firms that tions in almost all segments of the economy including industrial either produce a product or a service, non-profit organizations such as healthcare, government and education. The approach is starting to spread around the globe with initiatives in Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. This is commendable and reassuring and must show that there is significant interest in the approach and that it works. What is missing, however, are books and reference material that are not solely prepared in the US where benchmarking started. Theses would include examples of applications relevant to the local area and industries. They would include references to articles written about benchmarking appearing in local publications. In this fashion those interested would have near hand case histories of the use of benchmarking and therefore become encouraged to use the technique. Zairi and Leonard have done the benchmarking community a real service by documenting the European view and application of benchmark ing to a wide range of examples. But they have not stopped there. Their text includes treatment of a number of related facets of benchmarking that makes this a fairly thorough text.

With growing demands for increased operational efficiency and process improvement in organizations of all sizes, more and more companies are turning to benchmarking as a means of setting goals and measuring performance against the products, services and practices of other organizations that are recognized as leaders. The Benchmarking Book is an indispensable guide to process improvement through benchmarking, providing managers, practitioners and consultants with all the information needed to carry out effective benchmarking studies. Covering everything from essential theory to important considerations such as project management and legal issues, The Benchmarking Book is the ideal step-by-step guide to assessing and improving your company’s processes and performance through benchmarking.

As one of the titles in the American Productivity & Quality Center's Passport to Success series, Benchmarking provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to achieve benchmarking success. Based on years of research into the practices of leading organizations, this book, written by experienced APQC benchmarkers, highlights various types of benchmarking and APQC's benchmarking methodology. Readers can track their own progress and identify benchmarking landmarks. Supported by examples of best practices and tips from actual practitioners, it examines preparation and planning, participation, data collection, data analysis, and measurement. This 86-page book is retail priced at $19.95. An excerpt from Benchmarking: "The first vitally important step in a successful benchmarking initiative is clearly defining the objectives and the desired outcomes. While benchmarking cannot eliminate competition, its outcomes can include information on how to redesign processes to make your organization more competitive, improve quality, reduce costs and cycle time, and increase the satisfaction levels of external and internal customers. To define your specific objectives and desired outcomes, ask the individuals involved in deciding to benchmark to answer the following questions: What are we trying to accomplish?; What is the current state?"

by Bob Camp The business improvement topic and quality tool called benchmarking is becoming widely understood and broadly applied. There are now applica firms that tions in almost all segments of the economy including industrial either produce a product or a service, non-profit organizations such as healthcare, government and education. The approach is starting to spread around the globe with initiatives in Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. This is commendable and reassuring and must show that there is significant interest in the approach and that it works. What is missing, however, are books and reference material that are not solely prepared in the US where benchmarking started. Theses would include examples of applications relevant to the local area and industries. They would include references to articles written about benchmarking appearing in local publications. In this fashion those interested would have near hand case histories of the use of benchmarking and therefore become encouraged to use the technique. Zairi and Leonard have done the benchmarking community a real service by documenting the European view and application of benchmark ing to a wide range of examples. But they have not stopped there. Their text includes treatment of a number of related facets of benchmarking that makes this a fairly thorough text.

Written for managers, this powerful guide produced by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC), outlines the fundamentals for planning, organizing, and introducing benchmarking into the workplace. Filled with information gleaned from surveys of 87 International Benchmarking Clearinghouse members, it provides unique insight, enabling organizations to better plan their own benchmarking efforts. Within eight appendices, there is a wide spectrum of additional useful knowledge, including definitions of legal and moral behavior in the context of benchmarking, and a comparison of the numerous steps involved in its implementation. The text also includes an extensive bibliography of benchmarking and total quality management literature.

Packed with dramatic case studies, this step-by-step guide shows managers how to adopt the seminal benchmarking techniques revolutionizing quality at companies like Federal Express, AT&T, and other industry leaders. Features timesaving tips, evaluation charts, graphs, ethics, and antitrust guidelines. 50 illus.

Benchmarking is potentially the most powerful weapon in the corporate armoury. It is the technique that enabled Cummins Engine Company to slash delivery time from eight months to eight weeks, Lucas to reduce the number of shopfloor grades at one of its sites from 17 to four, and British Rail to cut cleaning time for a 660-seat train to just eight minutes. In other companies, order processing time has been brought down from weeks to days, engineering drawings output doubled and inventory cut by two-thirds.

Lecturers and researchers in the areas of industrial engineering, quality management and business development, and middle and higher management in business or technology- oriented positions, will find this book invaluable.

For any practitioner wanting to establish best practice in a wide variety of business areas, BENCHMARKING FOR BEST PRACTICE uses recent case studies of individual companies and industry-wide quality schemes to show how and why implementation has succeeded. It is also an ideal textbook on the application of TQM since it describes concepts, covers definitions and illustrates the applications with first-hand examples.