(Productivity Press: New York) -- Sharing best practices across industries and functions is an accepted approach to continuous improvement. The benchmarking trend of the 1990s has evolved with the help of competitive analysis, performance excellence awards, and other corporate recognition programs into an ongoing documentation of what works. Bob Camp introduced benchmarking against a best practice based on his work at Xerox in the 1980s.

Case studies abound documenting best practice functions and processes. Some case studies use the words “Best Practice” without evidence that the process, results, or methods are, indeed, superior. What is missing is a comprehensive model for assessing and writing a best practice that provides sufficient information to use as an effective benchmark. This book, Validating a Best Practice: A Tool for Improvement and Benchmarking, by Yves Van Nuland and Grace L. Duffy (Productivity Press, 2020), provides that comprehensive model.

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