Benchmarking for improvement Liz Hart Director of Information Services Staffordshire University.
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Transcript of Benchmarking for improvement Liz Hart Director of Information Services Staffordshire University.
Benchmarking for improvement
Brief overview of purpose and current situation in the UK
Benchmarking consortiaExamples of benchmarking in
practice
Benchmarking in libraries
Growth of importance of quality management Accountability
Three “E”’’s: Effectiveness Efficiency Economy
Purpose?
“Measurement and benchmarking are not separate sciences or unique themes of quality management, but rather strategic approaches to getting the best out of people, processes, plant and programmes”
John Oakland (1993)
UK experience
40% of HE sector involved in some way
Variable involvement: Structured to “unstructured”
SCONUL pilots project Manual of methods
Issues from UK experience
Time and effort balanced by willingness to engage
Ethics, confidentiality and honestyStaff / user involvement essentialProcess mapping / Activity Based
CostingComparative measures difficult!Good project management essential
Issues from UK experience
Embedding benchmarking in institutional or service quality framework
Methodologies from the literature do work in practice
Methodology
Oakland’s 15 stages: Plan and ActionPlan: 7 stagesSelect processesIdentify appropriate benchmarksCollect environmental dataIdentify teamDecide on data collection methodology
Methodology
Project planning and timescalesUseful example: Advice desk project
Critical success factor - satisfied customers “delightful” process
Help; situation; environment
Balanced against “right” information7th Stage in Plan: implement data
collection
Methodology
Oakland’s second group, Action:Compare dataOrganise and catalogue for retrievalUnderstand enabling processesSet new objectives and standardsDevelop action plans for new standardsImplement and embed changes
Methodology
Monitor and evaluate outcomes and improvements
Review your measures to ensure usability
Sounds obvious - but it is a discipline
Benchmarking consortia and other models
Motivation? Individual Step change in organisation Conceptual review Developmental and experimental
Commonwealth University Management Benchmarking Club
Consortia
Benchmarking agreements
Framework for operationDefine clarity of purpose:
To produce beneficial cross University analysis of process, statistical information and service outcomes
Produce comparative dataVoluntary grouping
Equal partnership
Benchmarking agreements
Executive GroupOperations Group
To ensure consistency, comparative outcomes and methodological enhancements
Sub groups led by one partner institutionClear financial and resource based
Ensures work is evenly allocated and shared
Benchmarking agreements
“Get out” clauses Non-participation due to internal
developments 3 months notice
Confidentiality Critical and key to success Openly share finance, staffing and
process information and data
Benchmarking agreements
Why is this so important? Open environment Facilitates working relationships Mutual support in process of
assessment Shared objectives
And finally, politically advantageous
Learning from experience
Good project managementExternal marketing
Users and non-usersMarketing largely passive to dateChanging in 2002/2003 cycle
Tools and techniques
Mystery shopper Used extensively in commercial sector Dependent on robust and open
relationship between partner institutions
Essential to agree and clarify criteria for measurement
Sensitivity regarding outcomes
Tools and techniques - mystery shopper
Mystery shopper for website access evaluation
Set questions assessing 3 variables: Ease of access Success in finding information Time taken
9 out of 10 questions the sameShoppers were from other institutions
Tools and techniques - mystery shopper
Shoppers accessed sites in predetermined order
Outcomes? Time - much longer than anticipated 1 site much more successful than other 3 Basic navigation OK Access via username and password
reduced success by minimum of 25%
Tools and Techniques - Exit interviews
Undertaken outside library environment “Neutral” territory Example from Advice Desk project Difference between questionnaire approach
and facilitated approach Facilitators gained more comprehensive and
open responsesCostly but more realistic views obtained
Tools and techniques - behavioural study
Unobtrusive observation used in Advice Desk project Rejected as a method following trial Sensitivity and influence on staff
behaviourMethod valuable for “people flows”Ability to predict demand and
physical use of space/s
Tools and techniques - Measuring process times
Shelving project Length of time to re-shelve Tidiness and accuracy of items on shelves Environmental and costing data
Changed timescales between 2000 and 2001 based on experience gained
Tracking slipsImproved shelving times by up to 50%
Tools and techniques - Measuring process times
Improvement via Practical Action: Targetting new staff appointments Moving stock Creating core team of shelving staff More effective use of return shelves Better trained / longer serving staff
undertaking initial sorting for floors
Tools and techniques - Measuring process times
Improvement via Staff motivation Greater motivation / self starting Team planning Willingness to reassign duties - flexibility Local analysis to pinpoint problems
Shelving is (for now) the base of the pillar
Tools and techniques - Measuring process times
Shelf tidiness Counting samples across classmark ranges Carried out over one block week (2000) then 1
day per week over 5 weeks (2001)Outcomes?
2 sites with fast shelving had untidy shelves 1 site with quickest shelving had tidy shelves!
Tools and techniques - Measuring process times
Outcomes? Will repeat as not entirely clear Most significant factor seems to be
priority given to shelving compared with other duties
Staff response emphasised the importance of speed and accuracy particularly in relation to other processes (reservations for example)
Outcomes and benefits?
Provision of shared management information
Establishing best practiceIdentifying and implementing positive
changeEvaluating opinion, views and needs
of customersBeginning to identify trends
Outcomes and benefits?
Networking - “invaluable”Exchange of ideas and viewsStaff developmentStaff ownership and flexibilityPerspectives on roles:
Challenging the established or expected outcome or view