What is Benchmarking?

“The search for industry best practices that lead to superior performance.”
— Robert C. Camp

Robert C. Camp is attributed as the father of benchmarking, having created the process in 1979 while employed at Xerox Corporation.  His quote above is the most succinct definition of benchmarking that exists today.  Camp's boss at Xerox, CEO David T. Kearns defines benchmarking as "the continuous process of measuring products, services, and practices against the toughest competitors and those companies recognized as industry leaders."

Unpacking Mr. Kearns' definition, we know that...

• Benchmarking is continuous: benchmarking is a constant, never-ending cycle of looking for new and better ways of doing things.
   
• Benchmarking is a process in itself: it is a structured set of activities that seeks to bring a desired result.
   
• Benchmarking requires measuring and comparing: in order to compare, one must have common metrics that gauge relative performance.