Continuous improvement
Benchmarking: compare the process and result
Learn benchmarking through Carleton University's published process example. Compare definitions, working methods and local tests before adopting a target.
Benchmarking compares products, services or processes with a relevant reference to identify what could improve. It requires understanding the work and its measures, not just collecting another organisation's headline number.
ASQ's explanation combines numerical comparisons with descriptions of how the reference process operates. Its Carleton University example shows why both belong in the study.
Follow the housing-process example
Carleton's housing team wanted to improve residence allocation, satisfaction and use of staff time. ASQ reports that it reviewed 24 university websites, followed up with telephone surveys of 12 and visited four institutions.
The team also examined its own process and sought student feedback. It then recommended changes adapted to Carleton's operation. The source includes a vacancy-rate goal below 1%; a target should not be reported as an achieved result.
Make the measures comparable
| Comparison field | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Process boundary | Where the work starts and ends |
| Unit and denominator | What counts as a case, defect, completed order or eligible period |
| Operating conditions | Product mix, service requirements and relevant constraints |
| Method | The practice that might explain the difference |
| Evidence | How the numbers and process description were obtained |
| Local test | What your team can evaluate under its own conditions |
A faster reported process may start its clock later or exclude difficult cases. Confirm the definitions before treating the difference as an improvement opportunity.
The OTIF example shows how changing the promise or counted unit can change a service result. The same problem applies when comparing organisations.
Choose a useful reference
Internal comparisons can reveal different methods under a shared company structure. External comparisons may expose practices the team has not considered. Neither automatically produces a compatible operating target.
Identify why the reference is relevant to the specific process question. A large or well-known company is not necessarily the right comparator for the work being examined.
Preserve the context with the number. A copied target without its process definition is difficult to interpret and may create an unsuitable demand on the local operation.
Adapt the practice and check the result
The yokoten guide examines transferring a practice with its required conditions. The PDCA example follows the local test after a proposed change has been selected.
For the next benchmarking exercise, define one process and its measure, then collect the corresponding method and conditions from the reference organisation. Use those details to propose a bounded local test before adopting its performance target.