Phase III: External Implementation

Collect and analyze external published information

Collect external published information (e.g., business publications, trade magazines, association newsletters) related to the process and/or policy being benchmarking
Summarize and analyze external published information collected
Identify opportunities to improve the process and/or policy being benchmarked
Select and contact potential Benchmarking Partners

Obtain information from experts in the field (e.g., consultants, professional associations, universities, research organizations, authors)
Exchange information with one or more Benchmarking Partners (e.g., surveys, telephone interviews, site visits)
Compare external data collected to the internal data collected
Identify opportunities for improvement by determining where the performance of the Benchmarking Partner’s process and/or policy is superior
Evaluate each opportunity for improvement to determine if it would have a positive impact on either the organization or the customers
List the root cause for each opportunity for improvement that has been identified
Review the list of root causes to identify potential changes required to improve performance