Benchmarking 101
What is benchmarking?
Benchmarking is a process for identifying, understanding, comparing, and adapting outstanding practices from
other organizations in order to help one’s own organization improve its performance.
What do you benchmark?
Processes
Products
Services
Staffing patterns
Outcomes
What am I looking for?
 Best practices that could be “borrowed” or “adapted” for GRCC
 An analysis of how your department compares against the “competition”
Where do I find appropriate benchmarks?
Selecting benchmarks
The key to selecting appropriate benchmarks is to find those departments in other colleges who are most
similar to your department. You will probably need to do some web searching and/or make a few phone
calls to find your best comparison group.
 Check out Michigan Community Colleges
Call or e-mail your counterparts at other Michigan community colleges and ask for information. Most
people are more than willing to share documents, processes, outcomes, etc.
 Michigan ACS Comparison Colleges (Financial reports)
DELTA
HENRY FORD
KALAMAZOO VALLEY
MOTT
SCHOOLCRAFT
WASHTENAW
WAYNE COUNTY
 Internet surfing  Benchmark Non-Educational Organizations
Check out how other organizations do processes similar to ours. Examples: On-line registration (airlines,
Ticket Master), waiting rooms (emergency rooms, Secretary of State office), handling crowds (Disney
World).
 IPEDS Comparison Groups
The IPEDS system , using GRCC institutional characteristics, has selected a group of comparison colleges
for us. Comparison group data are included to provide a context for interpreting your institution’s
statistics. The characteristics include large, public, 2-year colleges, in the midwestern states and
enrollment of a similar size.
Institutional Research and Planning
October, 2012
This comparison group includes the following 27 institutions:
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (Cincinnati, OH)
College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, IL)
College of Lake County (Grayslake, IL)
Columbus State Community College (Columbus, OH)
Cuyahoga Community College District (Cleveland, OH)
Des Moines Area Community College (Ankeny, IA)
Harper College (Palatine, IL)
Henry Ford Community College (Dearborn, MI)
Ivy Tech Community College (Indianapolis, IN)
Johnson County Community College (Overland Park, KS)
Joliet Junior College (Joliet, IL)
Kirkwood Community College (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Lansing Community College (Lansing, MI)
Macomb Community College (Warren, MI)
Metropolitan Community College Area (Omaha, NE)
Milwaukee Area Technical College (Milwaukee, WI)
Moraine Valley Community College (Palos Hills, IL)
Oakland Community College (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
Owens Community College (Perrysburg, OH)
Saint Louis Community College (Saint Louis, MO)
Schoolcraft College (Livonia, MI)
Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH)
Southeast Community College Area (Lincoln, NE)
Southwestern Illinois College (Belleville, IL)
University of Wisconsin Colleges (Madison, WI)
Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor, MI)
Wayne County Community College District (Detroit, MI)
What do I include in my Budget Review report (Instructional Support Programs or Services only)?
a) Briefly describe the benchmarks you selected and your rationale for selecting them.
b) Based on your analysis of the benchmark data, how does your department compare in terms of staffing,
efficiencies and services offered?
c) In what ways (if any) is your office unique or distinctive compared to the benchmarks you studied?
d) Provide a discussion of how the bench-marking data you analyzed provided key insights to improve efficiency
or quality of the services provided by your department.
Institutional Research and Planning
October, 2012