Benchmarking provides a good look at what others are accomplishing. It's one thing when the book says you should be able to do 19,000 square feet per custodian; it’s another thing when you see what others are really doing in their facilities.
Benchmarking gives you a good look at yourself. Real data, no fudging. Clean comparisons. Any successful journey starts with an effective assessment of “where are we?
Benchmarking is an avenue for learning. The first thing you will do when you get your results is start asking yourself a lot of questions! Why were our material costs so high? What would it take to reduce our energy consumption? Why is the productivity of our grounds crew so low? What can we learn from the excellent performance of our building maintenance team that we could apply in other areas?
Benchmarking provides a common language. From the worker to the school board, everyone can use the same metrics. They are clear, intuitive, and credible. Now everyone can get on the same page.
Benchmarking can give your team access to the Excellence Network User Group. When you arm a group of school facility professionals with real data and put them in a room to talk, you can’t help but learn!
Benchmarking can help identify and incorporate best practices. How are the leading districts dealing with this issue? You will learn ideas you would not have tumbled to on your own.
Benchmarking helps prioritize your efforts. There is way too much to do. Focus on the key areas to drive improvement.
