Benchmarking involves the direct comparison of products and services against the best industry standards. With benchmarks, therefore, a firm compares its processes and functions with those of other best-performing organizations while focusing on the need for improvement in quality performance. Since quality assurance involves the aspects of ensuring products and services meet the predetermined standards, it implies that benchmarking helps organizations to achieve their quality assurance goals. Quality assurance compares the products and services offered with the expectations of the organization and external players such as regulators to ensure quality objectives are adhered to. However, it is through benchmarking that the organization can come up with innovative ideas, implement them and undertake various monitoring actions to ensure consistent improvement in quality. Since benchmarking is an ongoing initiative in which an organization is involved in adapting to quality changes, it means that business’ major focus should be to keep benchmarking process consistent and to follow the best practices in the industry.
Christian business managers can utilize benchmarking to improve the quality of information technology projects by first assessing the trends in IT and then look for ways through which they can improve. Improvement, in this case, would mean coming together as managers and comparing their projects’ performance with the best in the industry. Through benchmarking, the managers have an opportunity to observe what their competitors are doing and adopt the methods if they are capable of improving the outcome of the project. It is also appropriate to identify the areas for improvement in the organization while involving front line employees in the process. Identifying such areas of excellence could include observing the way employees work and how responsive they are in ensuring only products of high quality are produced.
References
0'Reagain, S., & Keegan, R. (2000). Benchmarking explained: Benchmarking in Europe- Working together to build competitiveness. Brussels: European Union.
Inglis, A. (2005). Quality improvement, quality assurance and benchmarking: Comparing two frameworks for managing quality processes in open and distance learning. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 1-9.
