Product Description
Strategic Benchmarking Reloaded with Six Sigma updates benchmarking, the revolutionary business performance methodology, by adding statistical concepts from Six Sigma. These two methodologies combine to form a powerful platform for improving any company's overall performance. This new revision reviews the first twenty-five years of development in benchmarking and features new appendices, case studies, and topics, making this the most complete and comprehensive coverage of the subject available.
Topics include:
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Stimulating business improvement with benchmarking
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Linking Six Sigma to strategic planning and benchmarking
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Understanding the essence of process benchmarking
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Making statistical comparisons in benchmarking
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Applying benchmarking results for maximum utility
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Reviewing lessons learned from old case studies
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Conducting a strategic benchmarking study
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Performing an operational benchmarking study
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Mainstreaming benchmarking into strategic planning
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Creating a sustainable benchmarking capability
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Plus: appendices covering the benchmarking code of conduct, operating procedures, and Web resources
From the Inside Flap
Strategic benchmarking is a proven and effective methodology for improving overall business performance by examining the long-term strategies and approaches that enable high-performing companies to succeed. It helps companies identify best practices in relation to product development and delivery, core competencies, customer service, change preparedness, and more. It's a reliable and accurate way to gauge the market position and success of any business.
In 1993, Gregory Watson introduced this revolutionary business performance methodology to managers and executives in Strategic Benchmarking. Now, this new edition updates Watson's classic text for the twenty-first century. This edition includes everything from the first edition, along with additional material that brings it fully into line with current thinking and practice. Most important, it includes entirely new chapters on supplementing strategic benchmarking with statistical concepts from Six Sigma. It features new information and resources, fresh case studies, and a new discussion of strategic planning and benchmarking.
Six Sigma is changing and influencing American companies from coast to coast. Six Sigma significantly improves benchmarking in important ways: it provides an objective analysis standard for measuring cross-company performance; it delivers a scientific method to benchmarking through the use of a disciplined analytical approach; its mapping feature breaks down processes into single steps for individual analysis; and it helps optimize the performance and demonstrates the effectiveness of a proposed process change.
With the addition of Six Sigma, this new edition helps managers undertake a serious assessment of their business assumptions, technological aptitudes, operational capabilities, and organizational competencies. This allows a true examination of corporate strategy, as well as a clear picture of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes of the workers who drive increased performance. Applying the scientific method to strategic benchmarking makes business planning a precise and measurable activity—and leads to real results. Strategic Benchmarking Reloaded with Six Sigma gives managers and business leaders a comprehensive, effective guide to better quality and higher performance.
From the Back Cover
A new update of the classic text on benchmarking
Strategic Benchmarking Reloaded with Six Sigma updates benchmarking, the revolutionary business performance methodology, by adding statistical concepts from Six Sigma. These two methodologies combine to form a powerful platform for improving any company's overall performance. This new revision reviews the first twenty-five years of development in benchmarking and features new appendices, case studies, and topics, making this the most complete and comprehensive coverage of the subject available.
Topics include:
Stimulating business improvement with benchmarking
Linking Six Sigma to strategic planning and benchmarking
Understanding the essence of process benchmarking
Making statistical comparisons in benchmarking
Applying benchmarking results for maximum utility
Reviewing lessons learned from old case studies
Conducting a strategic benchmarking study
Performing an operational benchmarking study
Mainstreaming benchmarking into strategic planning
Creating a sustainable benchmarking capability
Plus: appendices covering the benchmarking code of conduct, operating procedures, and Web resources
About the Author
Gregory H. Watson is an independent business advisor to Fortune 500 senior management teams. An experienced expert in quality and benchmarking, he has been vice president of quality at Xerox Corporation, vice president of benchmarking at the American Productivity & Quality Center, and director of corporate quality at Compaq Computer Corporation.
