Benchmarking for Best Practices in the Public Sector: Achieving Performance Breakthroughs in Federal, State, and Local Agencies.

• Author: Rainey, Anthony H.

Keechly, Patricia; Medlin, Steven; MacBride, Sue; and Longmire, Laura

San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers, 1997. (251 pp)

Reviewed by Anthony H. Rainey, Assistant Director of Finance, City of Norfolk, Virginia, and member of the GFOA's Committee on Governmental Budgeting and Management.

There is a pervasive perception across America that the public sector is not working very well and costs too much. As a result, the public sector at all levels is facing tax limits and pressures to hold the line, as well as being encouraged to contract out many of its services. While citizens often imply that the public sector should be run more like a business, the question of what services the public sector should be offering is often entangled with how the public sector can improve the way it provides its services. This is where benchmarking and process improvement enter into the fray.

Most of the literature about benchmarking has a private-sector focus and uses the manufacturing approach toward process improvement when in reality the public sector requires a service approach to process improvement. Benchmarking for Best Practices in the Public Sector fills this void by using benchmarking and process improvement constructs and applying them to real-life applications in the public sector. The authors do not overwhelm the government finance officer with a theoretical framework and made-up examples - they provide names, places, approaches, and real measurements that have been used.

It is ironic that some who wish to reduce the size of government and simultaneously improve service delivery often misuse the term "benchmarking" in their justifications, thinking that it is just comparing anything to everything. Many public- and private-sector organizations are also embarking upon process improvement initiatives with no conception of any disciplined approach or "benchmarks" of comparison. Even the term "benchmarking" is often misunderstood by political leaders, management, employees, and customers. Is it any wonder why public-sector organizations are unwilling to pursue it?

For the public finance official - whether he/she is thinking about pursuing benchmarking, has already embarked upon a benchmarking effort, or just wants a structured approach to benchmarking - this book provides guidance in

* defining what benchmarking is and distinguishing the public- versus private-sector approaches,

* providing a selection criteria for what should be...