Benchmarking for Philippine Libraries : A Proposal

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Benchmarking for Philippine Libraries A Proposal
CORAZON M. NERA Director of Libraries, Lyceum of
the Philippines University Chairman, Board for
Librarians, PRC
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Definitions of benchmarking

• a management technique to improve business
• performances.
• used to compare performance between different
  organizations or different units within a single
  organizations undertaking similar processes on a
  continuous basis.

- aim to document and measure a key process and
then compare the resulting data with those
relating to similar process in other
organizations.
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Types of benchmarking
1. Competitor comparing with leading
organizations with similar
products or services and
adapting their approach.
2. Generic comparisons of business process or
functions that are very similar,
regardless of industry.
3. Internal a comparison of internal operations
by different departments
within the same organization.
4. Functional comparisons to similar functions
within the same broad
industry, or to industry
leaders.
5. Customer the aim of the improvement program
is meeting and exceeding
customer expectations.
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Appropriate to Libraries
Generic Benchmarking focuses on measuring
and comparing key processes in different
organizations e.g. inquiry services and
interlibrary loan.
Customer Benchmarking the benchmark is
customer expectations. Customers develop
their own benchmarks of performance when
selecting and judging suppliers. The
improvement program is aimed at meeting and
exceeding customer expectation.
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Approaches to benchmarking
A. Identify the process to be benchmarked
B. Establish management commitment to the
benchmarking process
C. Identify and establish the benchmarking
team
D. Define and understand the process to be
benchmarked
E. Identify metrics and collect process data
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A. Identify an appropriate benchmarking model
1. The generic model is selected as the most
appropriate
2. The approach ensures elements crucial to
customer satisfaction
3. Facilitates an in depth scrutiny of the way
operations are currently run.
4. A learning experience
5. Comparisons with other organizations enable
participants to exchange ideas and analyze gaps
in performance.
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Procedures representing the approach taken
1. Identify a key process, critical to the
success of the service
2. Document or map the sub-process
3. Take measurements of factors critical to the
success of the process
4. Analyze the results of exercise and identify
gaps in performance.
5. Select benchmarking partners, arrange visit to
compare the results of the exercise.
6. Identify best practice e.g. methods used by
benchmarking partners for adoption to
improve ones own level of service.
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Selecting benchmarking partners
1. Most difficult aspects of benchmarking
- due to concerns of confidentiality, extreme
caution when disclosing information or
competitors intelligence 2. Partners
are selected from organizations known to
the team and they should a. Exemplify
best practice b. Involved in quality
management programs c. Holders of quality
awards e.g. ISO 9000, Level IV
accreditation, IQuaME compliant 3.
Interested in benchmarking and willing to
participate in the exercise
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Selecting benchmarking partners cont
4. Not in competition with the
demonstration organization 5. Formal
letter will be sent stating procedures for the
exercise to the partners 6.
Demonstration organizations will arrange for the
visits at their most convenient time
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The benchmarking visit
1. Meeting is set up by the demonstration and
the benchmarking partner. 2. Aim - to
compare the data and exchange ideas on
the process. 3. Meeting is informal, to be
led by demonstration organizations with
researchers observing. 4. Best practice will be
identified and establish.
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Necessary Underpinnings of Benchmarking
1. Time management time consuming,time
might be better spent on other task or more
important matters - to survive, libraries
must give up the quick fix philosophy and
understand the change is now the norm and
stability is a thing of the past. - quality
management is a gradual or organic process
involve cultural change and holistic
approach to management.
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Necessary Underpinnings of Benchmarking cont
- benchmarking is time consuming process,
requires planning, team work and frequent
meetings - visits to partners take up valuable
work time. - viewed as a learning experience
leading to a higher level of awareness and
will benefit the library in the long
term.
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Necessary Underpinnings of Benchmarking cont
2. Communications essential for quality
management initiative, lines of
communications may affect location of
the library, availability of channels of
communication e.g. E-mail, telephone, fax
et.al. - Meetings between senior
management and staff involved in the
exercise should be setup in advanced
and reporting mechanism in place
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Necessary Underpinnings of Benchmarking cont
3. Formal vs. informal approaches formal
methods are theoretical, impractical and
bureaucratic. Informal methods of evaluation may
be used such as - Regular team meetings and
storming sessions - Service level agreements
service standards - Student course
evaluation - Liaison thru Library Advisory
Committee - Course review document -
Informal comparison of statistics -
Participation in university wide survey
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Necessary Underpinnings of Benchmarking cont
- Access the board comparison with a member
of other universities - Quality of service
implicit in Librarys Written Operational
Policy Standard - Charter mark -
Information skills program evaluated on regular
basis - Book availability survey
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4. Confidentiality and Learning organization
the aim is to test benchmarking techniques
and to compare work practices and
establish best practices. -
areas of concern confidentiality as a problem
e.g. expressing client confidential
information to outsiders, getting
into the hands of a competitor making
use of it top their detriment. -
misapprehensions information about
procedures are compared and no need for
confidential information to be implicated. -
those who are apprehensive about showing
information are not ready to participate in
benchmarking
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4. Confidentiality and Learning organization
cont - visits can be conducted away from
the workplace to avoid accidental exposure
of confidential documents. - Learning
Organization Concept is based on people,
information and relationships, depends
on network of partnerships and alliances as
organic structures that continually change
and grow thus the need to cultivate
an open minded approach and
macrocosmic approach by interacting
with organizations in their own in
terms of culture and work practice.
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Recommendations

• It is a value to organization involved in quality
• programs.
• 2. It is a quality tool and most used where the
  culture and practices are focused on achieving
  best practice.
• 3. Where it is to be introduced, training must be
  implemented first
• 3.1 What benchmarking is?
• 3.2 How implemented within the organization,
  what it involves and why it is being carried
• out?
• 3.3 To make staff understand the necessary
• mapping and measuring stages of
  the process
• and supply the data and the
  needed
• documentation.

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Recommendations cont

• 4. The training covers tools such as flowcharting
  and
• fishbone designs, to establish current
  procedures
• and identify problem areas.
• 5. Benchmarking may need detailed procedures, or
• guidelines or how to set about it.
• The selection of benchmarking partners is
• problematic.
• 7. The concepts and ideology of benchmarking
• represent good management practice, the
  process is
• difficult, and the benefits may not be
  apparent for
• sometime, if at all.
• 8. Where benchmarking is felt to be most useful,
  is a
• means of raising staff levels of awareness.

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Recommendations cont
9. The process of analyzing procedures and
identifying gaps in performance can be a learning
experience, which enables staff to distance
themselves from a process and view it in an
organizational context. 10. Awareness extends to
outside organizations during benchmarking
visits, and helps to foster a mindset
receptive to new ideas and change. 11.
Benchmarking can be perceived as an empowering
tool, which by focusing on process owners,
enables professional staff to play a more
proactive role in the identification of
problems and implementation of change. 12.
Promotes teamwork and better communication
between junior and senior level staff -
both of which are prerequisites of
successful benchmarking.
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Modes of benchmarking process used by the
demonstrator organizations for the benchmarking
exercises
Identify key process
Document / Map Sub Processes
Identify Critical Success Factors (CsFs)
Measure CsFs
Analyze Results Identify Gaps in Performance
Identify Best Practice
Select Benchmarking Partners/Arranged Visits
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Why benchmark? (Australian Experience) 1. to
facilitate dramatic process improvement 2. as
part of an ongoing continuous improvement
mechanisms 3. to ensure that plans are being
carried out 4. to focus evaluation on the most
useful areas 5. as part of change management
process 6. to justify the existence or value of
the service 7. to demonstrate areas of merit to
stakeholders 8. to develop relationships/partner
ships with other organizations and 9. to
assess aspects of management (include the level
of management competitiveness)
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Benefits ? As an improvement tool (Australian
Best Practices) 1. improved understanding of
work flows, processes and procedures 2.
continuous improvement in work flows, processes
and procedures 3. new ideas leading to
continues improvement and breakthrough
change 4. a view of work flows, procedures and
processes in other organizations 5. high
regard of staff for library clients 6. high
regard of library clients for staff
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Benefits ? Cont 7. pride in performance 8.
participation in decision making 9. breakdown
of traditional barriers between branches and
management and staff 10. improved productivity
Processes suitable for benchmarking
(activities) 1. Interlibrary loans 2. copy
cataloging 3. original cataloging 4. shelving
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Processes suitable for benchmarking (activities)
cont 5. acquisitions gt cataloging gt
processing 6. acquisitions of core texts 7.
document delivery 8. technical services 9.
library system costs 10. research support 11.
information skills 12. materials
availability 13. staff perceptions 14.
customer satisfaction
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Processes suitable for benchmarking cont 15.
organizational comparison 16. costing core
processes 17. university enquiry points 18.
leading and managing improvement and change
Back
Reasons for benchmarking (Australian
Libraries) 1. cost comparison 2. reduction in
turn around times 3. reduction in error
rates 4. establishing meaningful performance
indicators / realistic output measures
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Reasons for benchmarking cont 5. feasibility
of collaboration to achieve cost saving 6.
investigate in sourcing, outsourcing and
collaborative opportunities 7.
establish individual performance targets 8.
explore appropriate roles and activities of
cataloguers 9. develop improved outcomes for
customers 10. pilot benchmarking / instill
value of benchmarking 11. as an instrument to
achieve change 12. develop bet practice
model 13. validation measure 14. develop
statements of good practice 15. framework for
benchmarking, performance and quality
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References 1. Best Practice Handbook for
Australian University Libraries
(2000). Department of Education,
Training and Youth Affairs, Higher Education
Division. 2. Brockman, John et.al.
(1997) Quality Management and Benchmarking
in the Information Sector. LondonBowker
Saur.
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Give Benchmarking a Chance - Its Worth It
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(No Transcript)
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Title LIBRARY PROCEDURES Scope ACQUISITION OF
BOOKS PURCHASE General Policies and
Guidelines Determination of the educational
resources of the SHL library is a professional
consideration of great magnitude, requiring the
cooperative efforts of the acquisition librarian
and the faculty members with the College deans
and the Library director. Procedures 1.The
Director of Libraries directs the Acquisition
Librarian to invite book suppliers in batches and
assigns staffs to attend book fairs and
coordinates with the College Deans for faculty
members to attend book fairs 2.The Property
Officer receives books from suppliers
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3.The Acquisition Librarian segregates books per
college and prepares book acquisition to go with
the books 4.The Faculty/Department Chair
evaluates/recommends books to purchase 5.The
Dean evaluates/approves the Book Requisition
Slips 6.The College Secretary returns/transmits
all books to Acquisition Librarian 7.The
Director of Libraries re-evaluates books
recommended and endorse acquisition 8.The
Acquisition Librarian prepares list of books as
recommended and not recommended per supplier
in triplicate 9.The Acquisition Librarian
transmits all books to Property Office with the
duly signed Book Requisition Slip
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10. The purchasing Officer prepares purchase
requisition/purchase order 11. The VP/Treasurer
approves the P.R./P.O. 12. The Purchasing
Officer sends approved P.O. to supplier then
forward the approved P.O. to Property Officer and
to Accounting for payment. 13. The Property
officer returns books not recommended to
suppliers, prepares RR for the purchased books
per the approved P.O. and transmits books per
approved P.O. 14. The Acquisition Librarian
records all purchased books into the Accession
Book 15. The Cataloger catalogues the
books. 16. The Acquisition Librarian forwards
the list of catalogued books to Property Office.
Back
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Book Acquisition Procedure
Back