On the road to developing a strategic plan destined to determine and improve either the general performance of an organization or performance within a particular department, specific tools have proved themselves to be very useful for assessing the current situation and taking the next logical steps towards achieving the objectives set. One of the most used and most useful tools, when properly applied, is data analysis, due to the clear and precise insights an organization can gain from it.
As all businesses are in a continuous search for improving their organizational processes, one of the main actions that needs to be taken for seeing quality improvements and achieving a superior level of performance is closing the gaps. Improvement refers to the process through which performance gaps are actually closed, so that a company is able to achieve the desired results. The aspect that can always be improved is performance. Therefore, improvement is not a results issue, but a performance related one.
The process of developing a benchmarking team is essential in order to be able to conduct a benchmarking study that aligns to the actual organizational strategies and identifies the right targets. It is one of the most important aspects that determines the success of the benchmarking plan. Hence, when conducting a benchmarking research, the responsible team can make the difference between success and failure.
One of the keys to success in benchmarking is connected to selecting the right benchmarking partners and learning from the best in class organizations. However, the process required in the selection phase is a very complex one which needs to have the proper time and resources allocated.
In a previous article, I presented the strategic plan of IFMA, the international association for facility management professionals that provides global level educational programs and conferences in the field.
Another strategic instrument is the Portfolio of Initiatives. Initiatives or projects are the ones that help managers close the performance gap between actual results and targets. Taking actions is the first step to improvement.
