Update CS832 Doctor Steven Reynolds

IT BENCHMARKING AND IT BENCHMARKING

PERSPECTIVES

By
Tai Cleveland
Class CS832
Doctor Steven Reynolds
Resubmit Week2 assignment

























TABLE OF CONTENTS



Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

IT Benchmarking and IT Benchmarking Perspectives 3-6

Reference List 7

































A benchmark is referred to a standard that can be measured or judged (W. M. Lankford). When it comes to IT (Information Technology) benchmarking, however, it compares certain technological factors of a product or service as opposed to traditional specifications. IT benchmarking presents a contained, repeatable outcome that determine an individual or a set of performance indicators (C. Ambuhl, et al., 2004).
The model IT benchmarking method is to systematize a group of companies in an industry to divide its data based on IT metrics. This method makes certain that companies achieve exact and extremely pertinent IT benchmarks at a reasonable cost. However, IT benchmarking is not an easy feat, particularly to organizations that are at a loss about how incorporate IT to benchmarking.
One perspective of IT benchmarking is the measurement of outcome, which addresses the gains accomplished from the implementation of a technology or an IT application. The capability to enhance an IT organization through determining and sustaining a performance baseline can offer momentous business results. These results include the cost savings, cost spending efficiency, recognizing the IT weaknesses and means to boost productivity, making the organization remain competitive, prioritizing IT opportunities for organizational growth, and developing practical IT goals and keeping track to fulfill these goals.
Indeed, an organization evolves in its own together with the annual plans, strategies, metrics, and everything else, as changes relate to different types of business. Having the aggressive benchmarking edge these days will compel an organization to its target without plummeting.
Basically, having an execution measurement through an organization’s scorecard would create its business plans to occur, and not stay as one measly dream (Ambuhl, et al., 2004).
Execution measurement of the outcome makes the companies pursue their chance factors in business. It applies both internal and external viable benchmarking and exploits a fitting flowing technique for goal execution and setting. This scorecard can now distinguish the accomplishments in the real setting, not in just the yearly business review. In measuring the outcome, the data measured must be accurate and current or timely Mard, M. J., 2004). The validity of the measurement is based on its ease and the issues ought to be tractable to their original causes. The whole database of the garnered outcomes or data is fundamentally basic to simply preserve their integrity. So, if a organization’s management team is in an objective scorecard advance and they partake in a considerable goal setting activity, the execution measurement can now prompt them to take on a higher achievement objective thus, outpacing the profit and evolution expectations.
The measurement of outcome in benchmarking is now an integral part of the established execution management advance. Still, an unclear management notion, measurement of outcome simply are the accomplishments of an IT implemented process that measures services, solutions, and other business practices as opposed to the most intricate competition. One of the perspectives of competitive benchmarking incorporates the building of other people's ideas to boost future execution with an IT application.
An organization can anticipate significant improvements when they compare their developments into having fine benchmarking practices. Prior to proceeding to the external competitive benchmarking, an organization should have considered the internal operations methodically with a proficient internal measurement system that is fully conclusively proved.
IT benchmarking perspectives are essential if an organization is facing increased competition in its industry sector. With higher demands on IT to align with the business, this type of perspective addresses the necessity to display economic value and the need to realize how competitive IT services are to optimize the delivery of IT services. Constructing an IT-based competitive advantage has become a major requirement. Ongoing IT benchmarking can guarantee that an organization’s IT investment is bringing the best value to the organization.
The IT benchmark has definitely progressed from just some comprehensive technology to a whole view of IT performance. The organization can be focused in one or a number of areas. These areas include peer and industry comparisons, customer satisfaction, business–IT process, IT effectiveness and value, and IT efficiency and cost (Ambuhl, et al., 2004).
Furthermore, when the measurement of outcome proves to be successful especially when incorporated with IT functions, cost and performance in benchmarking are easily managed IT. It enables an IT organization to evaluate their performance and costs to similar tasks or identifies opportunities for management improvement.
An organization’s level of effort will certainly rely on its measurement of outcome. They will notice how well organized the data is due to its IT implementation. Organizations that are well-ordered should not spend over two days per technology application for data collection and automated data entry (Ambuhl, et al., 2004).
The gains accomplished from having an IT application in business enable the company to have a more thorough understanding of their IT costs structure. There will be knowledge of which specific areas of performance to focus on in order to achieve the greatest gain. It also includes an establishment of critical key performance indicators that can be tracked in the future.
In fact, benchmarking does not only pertain to databases and number crunching. IT benchmarkers should be conscious of IT executive and staff time constraints (Ambuhl, et al., 2004). Compliance in data collection approaches is essential to total an exact benchmarking breakdown with low distraction to the organization. Indeed, IT benchmark perspectives go further than the relative tables that demonstrate many benchmarks. A successful IT benchmark is distinguished by litigable references to produce instant and long-term improvements.
The measurement of outcome calls for having a room for organizational improvement. If the demand for IT services continues to grow, the costs should also be taken into account. This IT benchmark perspective signifies the value of having an IT application within the organization which sparks a continuous effort undertaking. Indeed, aligning business with IT-based solutions has a potential impact to a thriving business.
IT benchmarking proves beneficial to a company. Even if benchmarking can be quite complex or simple, it supplies informative management solutions and promotes a spirit of collaboration and participation among employees and from indirect competitors. When an organization looks at IT benchmarking and its measurement of outcome, they go beyond their standard processes. IT benchmarking is crucial for organizations to center on anything that will impact its performance quality and value.
REFERENCES
Ambuhl, C. & Bitterman, M. (2004). IT Benchmarking A Baseline For
Improving Performance. Robert Frances Group and Experture.
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Lankford, W. M. Benchmarking: Understanding the Basics. The Coastal Business
Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2009, from
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:s7cwuE4MvzkJ:www.coastal.edu/business/cbj/pdfs/benchmark.pdf+strategic+benchmarking&hl=en.

Mard, M. J., Dunne, R. R. & Osborne, E. (2004). Driving Your Company's Value:
Strategic Benchmarking For Value. John Wiley and Sons.
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McManus, L. & Eloff, J.H.P. Using IT Benchmarking Principles To Design
Information Security Benchmark Model. ICSA Research Group.
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Obloj, K., Cushman, D. P. & Kozm, A. K. (1995). Winning: Continuous Improvement
Theory in High-performance Organizations. SUNY Press.
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