Benchmarking is a powerful tool for improvement. It is one of the fastest growing techniques for quality and performance improvement and attracts massive attention. Now, more than ever there is a clear need for straightforward guidelines to help companies make the most of benchmarking. This book addresses that need. This unique text provides an excellent recipe for conducting a benchmarking study. Unlike other books on the subject it takes a systematic approach, giving the reader step-by-step instructions. The five-phase benchmarking wheel forms the framework for the book, with detailed descriptions of each phase being complemented by graphical navigation aids. This will serve as a quick and practical tutorial for benchmarking and as a handbook to be used by the team throughout the benchmarking study.