The development of a benchmarking and performance improvement resource

Abstract

Describes the aims, reasons for development, key features, and uniqueness of an online benchmarking and performance improvement resource. The paper begins by describing the historical context within which the Web site has been developed. It describes the growth in the use of business excellence, benchmarking and performance measurement, and how these improvement approaches are related to each other. The Web site’s uniqueness stems from how information within the resource is categorised by the Malcolm Baldrige Model and the European Business Excellence Model, the collection and linking of thousands of snippets of information from case studies and articles relating to best practices and benchmarking studies, the provision of a comprehensive list of performance measures and improvement techniques, and the way that the site has been designed based on the concept of benchmarking. An explanation of how the resource might be used to support an organisation’s benchmarking process is provided. The paper concludes by presenting the positive feedback obtained from an industry review of the Web site’s key features. The Web site aims to be launched by October 2001.