Course Description and Curriculum

Benchmarking is a disciplined approach to gather and compare practices and performance both within and across organizations. It can be conducted for products, processes, and organizational effectiveness, among numerous other applications. This course provides an overview of benchmarking principles and common approaches, and an emphasis on how organizations leverage benchmarking to focus, guide, and realize value-driven improvement and change.

This course is self-paced with live office hours available for questions.

  • 1

    UPB - 1 Introduction & Stage Setting

    • UPB - 1.1 Moderator/Trainer Introduction Video

    • UPB - 1.2 Overview of APQCs Benchmarking Methodology

    • UPB - 1.3 Learning Objectives
  • 2

    UPB - 2 Benchmarking Overview & Principles

    • UPB - 2.1 What Is Benchmarking?

    • UPB - 2.2 How Organizations Leverage Benchmarking

    • UPB - 2.3 Why Organizations Benchmark

    • UPB - 2.4 Benchmarking Is Not

    • UPB - 2.5 Quiz #1

    • UPB - 2.6 Case Study - Download and Video

    • UPB - 2.7 EMC Case Study

    • UPB - 2.8 How Dell and EMC Improved Process Management With Benchmarking

    • UPB - 2.9 Continuous Learning

    • UPB - 2.10 Benchmarking Reinforces Change

    • UPB - 2.11 Quiz #2
  • 3

    UPB - 3 Benchmarking Takes Many Forms

    • UPB - 3.1 Benchmarking Forms

    • UPB - 3.2 Benchmarking Forms KPIs

    • UPB - 3.3 Applications of Benchmarking

    • UPB - 3.4 Benchmarking Forms - Competitive

    • UPB - 3.5 Connecting the Dots
  • 4

    UPB - 4 Putting Benchmarking into Perspective

    • UPB - 4.1 Key Considerations

    • UPB - 4.2 Business Trends

    • UPB - 4.3 Cost of Not Knowing

    • UPB - 4.4 What Is the Right Performance?

    • UPB - 4.5 A Detailed View of APQC’s Benchmarking Methodology

    • UPB - 4.6 Allocation of Responsibilities

    • UPB - 4.7 Why Organizations Benchmark & What To Do With the Data

    • UPB - 4.8 Quiz #3
  • 5

    UPB - 5 Highlights and Wrap-Up

    • UPB - 5.1 Close-Out Video

    • UPB - 5.2 Course Evaluation

Instructor(s)

Senior Project Manager

Jonathan Kraft

As a project manager for APQC’s Advisory Service team, Jonathan Kraft manages, researches, and reports on custom benchmarks, both quantitative and qualitative, as well as supports client projects focused on assessing and developing process management and knowledge management strategies and programs.

Director, Adivsor Services

Jeff Varney

As a director and part of APQC's management team, Jeff Varney implements business process management and performance improvement, knowledge management, custom benchmarking, quality management, and performance measurement initiatives for APQC clients, often employing Lean and Six Sigma techniques and always with a strong focus on effective change management. Jeff has extensive experience with enterprise projects across multiple industries, including software development, banking, insurance, military, and space. Before joining APQC in 2006, he has participated in and led technology projects with CSC, Raytheon, and McDonnell Douglas, including custom call center solutions, military command and control applications, and the International Space Station.