ARCHIVED - Quality Services - Guide VIII - Benchmarking and Best Practices

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"He who rides the tiger's back cannot get off!"
(Chinese proverb)

Context

The last several years have seen federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations embark on many change initiatives to promote quality services, with some excellent results. Organizations are consolidating the changes made, sharing best practices internally to promote and accelerate change, and looking for ways to use the best practices of others - including benchmarking performance - as part of systematic, planned approaches to managing change and providing quality services.

Sharing benchmarking information and best practices is one way to recognize the efforts of innovative, creative Public Service employees and others who are improving client satisfaction, improving management practices, introducing new technologies, improving employee satisfaction, and ensuring that Canadians receive the quality services they expect and deserve.

Goal

To foster the government-wide use of benchmarking and the sharing of best practices to:

• improve service delivery and client satisfaction;
• improve employee satisfaction;
• minimize duplication; and
• improve operational efficiency, effectiveness and economy.

Definitions

The process of benchmarking and the sharing of best practices is a way of learning from the experience of others, adapting the knowledge gained and significantly improving operational performance. Simply stated, if you are going to redefine or reshape the way you serve your internal and external customers, check to see if someone else has already gone in the direction you're headed. You'll save time, and time is quickly becoming our most precious resource. Benchmarking and the sharing of best practices are effective organizational change tools when used as part of a planned approach to improving service quality.

The definitions that follow reflect the current literature and practical experience.

Benchmarking

The continuous, systematic process of measuring and assessing products, services and practices of recognized leaders in the field to determine the extent to which they might be adapted to achieve superior performance.

Best practices sharing

The capture, dissemination and sharing of a work method, process or initiative to improve organizational effectiveness, service delivery and employee satisfaction.

Framework

STRATEGY 1

Establish and sustain an environment, across government and within organizations, that embraces the process of benchmarking and the sharing of best practices.

A. Workplan element

Secure endorsement and resource commitments, from all levels of management in each department, agency and Crown corporation, for a quality service strategy incorporating benchmarking and best practices.

Performance indicators

• the quality and scope of benchmarking and best practice initiatives embedded in organizational business plans
• the degree to which performance review and recognition systems support the use of benchmarking and the sharing of best practices
• the number of incentives and amount of recognition provided by departments to employees who have made major contributions using benchmarking and best practices

B. Workplan element

Promote government-wide and departmental sharing of benchmarking and best practice experience and information including access to national and international databases.

Performance indicators

• creation of government-wide, easily accessible benchmarking and best practice databases by the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Canadian Centre for Management Development, with the cooperation of federal Public Service organizations
• significant contributions of benchmarking information and best practices by departments, agencies and Crown corporations to government-wide knowledge bases, such as HR ConnEXions
• availability of different means of sharing benchmarking and best practice experiences and information such as electronic media, newsletters and town hall meetings
• results of a survey of benchmarking and best practice practitioners regarding their satisfaction with benchmarking and best practice services provided

C. Workplan element

Promote benchmarking and best practice partnerships and alliances across government; within federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations; and with other public and private organizations.

Performance indicator

• activities of the benchmarking and best practice partnerships and alliances, and their contributions to the knowledge bases.

STRATEGY 2

Disseminate and share best practice and benchmarking information and results in a timely, accessible, user-friendly, and efficient manner. Means may include electronic media, face-to-face meetings, paper documents and 1-800 lines.

A. Workplan element

Publicize and support the sharing of benchmarking and best practices through various media.

Performance indicators

• percentage of departmental strategic and annual business plans that show best practice and benchmarking initiatives
• Public Service employees' use of various means for sharing benchmarking and best practices, such as electronic media, newsletters, town hall meetings and conferences
• percentage of government departments, agencies and Crown corporations that share benchmarking and best practice initiatives on government-wide knowledge bases
• level of access by government employees to government-wide knowledge bases

B. Workplan element

Conduct benchmarking and best practice user consultations to encourage managers, internal consultants, newsletter editors, electronic conference board sponsors and other employees to continuously improve the means for capturing, disseminating and sharing information on benchmarking and best practices.

Performance indicator

• benchmarking and best practice users' satisfaction level with the number and quality of the practices being shared and with their ability to use, contribute to and benefit from the means used for sharing

C. Workplan element

Identify high-profile benchmarking and best practice pilot projects to demonstrate process effectiveness, which will foster use and support.

Performance indicator

• number and quality of benchmarking and best practice projects successfully completed

D. Workplan element

Building benchmarking and best practice sharing into management training opportunities.

Performance indicator

• user assessments of the relevance of training and consulting services provided

STRATEGY 3

Assess progress in implementing benchmarking and best practice sharing and continuously improve benchmarking and best practice processes.

A. Workplan element

Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the different means for benchmarking and best practice sharing, and of improvements to operational results.

Performance indicators

• service delivery improvements, such as reduced costs, shorter cycle times and resources savings that result from applying best practices and benchmarking processes
• number and scope of successful benchmarking and best practice projects implemented by each organization

B. Workplan element

Continuously improve ways to capture, disseminate and share benchmarking information and best practices to improve results and to sustain their use.

Performance indicators

• users' satisfaction levels and number and quality of suggestions to improve benchmarking and best practice databases and means for sharing

Tools

The following tools will be developed to help organizations use benchmarking and best practices:

• a two- to three-page "how-to" guideline for incorporating benchmarking and best practices into strategic and annual business plans;
• a "how-to" benchmarking kit, which will include:

- visual models

- a flowchart of the benchmarking process

- guidelines on when and how to use benchmarking

- information on benchmarking conduct and protocol

- resources

- benchmarking of best practices;

• a "how-to" kit on best practices, which will include:

- a broader explanation of best practices

- information on available media

- recommendations for improvements (e.g. government-wide sharing)

- information on Quality Services strategies that incorporate benchmarking and best practices; and

• a reference list of benchmarking and best practice publications and resources.
  
  

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