The Department of the Navy Benchmarking Handbook: A Systems View,

Abstract : Benchmarking is a strategic and analytic process of continuously measuring an organization's products, services, and practices against a recognized leader in the studied area (Department of the Navy TQL Glossary, 1996). Benchmarking is more than a simple comparison of one organization's business practices to another for the purpose of improving one's own process. Benchmarking provides a data-driven, decision-making vehicle to implement changes of world-class quality to core business practices. And, since there is no one way to perform a process that will be the industry's best practice forever, benchmarking is also an ongoing discovery process that recalibrates to establish new baselines for continuous improvement Performed well, benchmarking will also promote teamwork and remove subjectivity from mission-critical decision making.