Key Elements of a Process Benchmarking Exercise identify the area of activity to be benchmarked and the critical points in the process that need improvement... and the indicators that you are going to use to measure progress; collect data, analyse and map those processes in your own organisation; choose benchmarking partner(s) who are better than you are. Agree the data to be collected; share the information with benchmark partners; compare and analyse inputs such as staff time and costs, outputs and outcomes, throughputs, processes procedures, policies; identify gaps in performance; identify the best process for your organisation - that is one that would deliver what you want to deliver locally; implement the changes; monitor and review and compare with the best. Local Government Management Board, 1996

As the LGMB emphasises, "Benchmarking does not mean copying what other people do; it should be a learning process, challenging existing ways of working and identifying step by step changes that can close the gap between current performance and best practice." Comparing and Learning from Others The success of benchmarking will depend upon the quality of collaborative learning which the learning city can engender within, and between partnerships. Shared understanding and agreement is the condition and purpose of the learning cycle. This requires trust and co-operative working between different organisations and interests. Benchmark clubs or networks can be formed to support gathering, sharing and understanding information. Recognising the Diversity of Interests The learning city will understand that diversity of interests within the city may hold different substantive values, as well as give different weight to the significance of value for money, service quality and equity. The task over time is to develop some shared understanding about the values which the learning community wishes to assess for what has been achieved. The diversity of stakeholders whose values and interests need to be taken into account include: public, private and voluntary sector organisations and agencies elected representatives senior managers, professionals and front-line staff as well as trade union officials the range of public interests, including tenants, parents, service users and community groups. The Aims and Tasks of Collaborative Working The processes of reflection and evaluation lead into the tasks of forming shared judgements and agreements about future plans and priorities to improve the learning city. The quality of these judgements will grow out of the quality of collaborative learning which has grown up between authorities, organisations and agencies in the learning city. The DTI/DfEE document "Competitiveness through Partnerships with People" (1997) lists "Five Paths to Sustained Success". These help to summarise the essential conditions of collaborative working: shared goals: understanding the business we are in shared culture: agreed values binding us together shared learning: continuously improving ourselves shared effort: one organisation driven by flexible teams shared information: effective communication throughout the organisation. A community which reflectively monitors and evaluates its development will ensure that the different sectors of the city, town or region are aware of, seek to learn from, and replicate where appropriate imaginative and effective practices of regeneration and lifelong learning.

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