Not only but also — Using PROBE Best Practice Benchmarking in combination with other approaches

There are many different perspectives on the 'Journey to Excellence'. Clear evidence of the PROBE tools' ongoing effectiveness and broad applicability lies in their resonance and compatibility with the principles embedded in definitive frameworks such as the Baldrige criteria and the EFQM Excellence Model, and in contemporary implementation methodologies such as Lean Thinking, Six Sigma and Best Value.

• PROBE Best Practice Benchmarking tools. deliver substantial benefits if used as a stand-alone approach, as a one-time exercise to gain insights and plan improvements.
• Benefits increase if PROBE benchmarking is supported by a structured approach to action planning and project management. PROBE's outputs can be 'plugged in' to established improvement processes where they are in place. A PROBE Action Planning workshop can be an invaluable next step.
• Established change management capabilities can ensure that action plans translate into effective actions. Most organisations realise that managing change is one of their most important and most difficult challenges. The PROBE Tipping Point workshop is a proven aid to your efforts to build essential capacity and capability for effective change.
• Organisations that have made a genuine commitment to their journey to excellence are not satisfied with a one-time snapshot of their strengths and improvement opportunities. They want to measure progress, to gain the additional insights available through fresh eyes, to introduce more staff to the benefits of taking a step back and working on the organisation (not just in it) from time to time. They become regular users of the PROBE tools.
• We are often asked "Is PROBE the best tool of its kind". There is only one answer to this — which tool is best depends on what you're trying to do with it! PROBE tools have an outstanding reputation and pedigree, and are undoubtedly among the best of their kind. In our view, truly enlightened organisations realise that no single tool is the best for all purposes, and use a range of tools and approaches in combination to enhance their ability to learn, to improve, to excel...
• ...for example, in a range of settings, PROBE tools are used in carefully planned combinations with:
  • The EFQM Excellence Model
  • BETA (Business Excellence Through Action)
  • Benchmark Index
  • The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

For more information or to discuss ideas, contact us.