WHAT IS PROCESS BENCHMARKING?

Process Benchmarking is a systematic method for comparing your key business processes with the best; both within and outside your industry. The insights gained can be adapted to fit your organizations unique requirements. Process Benchmarking ties to the underlying principles of continuous improvement, the pursuit of total quality and your organization's strategic plans. WHY INITIATE PROCESS BENCHMARKING IN YOUR ORGANIZATION? To accelerate the rate of change in your key business processes; to continue delivery of superior products and services to your customers. Find out how good you really are and how to make dramatic improvements.

USE PROCESS BENCHMARKING WHEN YOU NEED TO:

• Identify your current performance as compared to others in the context of continually changing customer requirements.

• Identify the correct goals and best means to measure your performance.

• Identify the current best practices and adapt them to your environment.

1. PLAN - understand processes which support your customers' critical success factors
2. RESEARCH - search appropriate companies for process comparisons
3. OBSERVE - collect data from benchmark partners and identify performance gaps
4. ANALYZE - understand the cause of the performance gaps.
5. ADAPT - selectively adapt the best practices for superior performance.
6. IMPROVE - continuously monitor your processes to evaluate benefits.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND A PROCESS BENCHMARKING COURSE?

Teams within organizations who are concerned with improving their work processes to increase customer satisfaction. Attendees should be managers and senior process specialists who will participate in a Process Benchmarking study. It is focused on those who want to learn and practice the benchmarking process. COURSE PURPOSE Develop a working understanding of Process Benchmarking and practice related skills. COURSE PROCESS Experiencing the structured steps of Benchmarking, applied to a detailed case study. COURSE OUTCOME Your organization will be able to create teams to implement their own Process Benchmarking studies. AGENDA

Day One

• Introduction
• Process Benchmarking Benefits
• Overview of the Six Step Model
• Step 1 Plan
• Step 2 Research

Day Two

• Step 3 Observe
• Step 4 Analyze
• Step 5 Adapt
• Step 6 Improve
• Appendix Review
• Conclusion

TRAINING METHODOLOGY

Fully half the course involves the practicing of Process Benchmarking skills in a complex yet involving case study. Class participation is a key element of the design and many job aides are provided to the student. A complete participants guide is provided which, with its many appendices, will provide a useful aide to the implementation of Process Benchmarking studies. Small teams will be formed in class to jointly work on the case study. PROCESS BENCHMARKING OUTCOMES

• Create a healthy discomfort with your current state of performance.

• Determine what to change - in a systematic manner.

• Define results desired after the change.

PROCESS BENCHMARKING BENEFITS

Past attendees have reported the following benefits:

• Increased customer/external focus.
• Greater sense of urgency to make changes.
• Better focused allocation of limited resources.
• Greater confidence in decision making
• Challenging of organizational norms
• Renewed spirit of competition
• Objective basis for performance measures
• Expanded resource networks
• Reality check for strategic targets