Jul 24 2005
June 2005 saw the launch of the fifth set of BSRIA’s KPIs for M&E contractors.
The latest collection shows encouraging signs that overall, industry is improving. Many people will have seen the A2 wallchart with the 10 headline KPIs and wondered how such generic measures can provide real meaning, but BSRIA´s involvement in KPIs does not finish here. It is vital to know which aspects of service or design supporting the headline measures are weak, in order to use benchmarking as a catalyst for change and improvement: these additional measures are published in BSRIA´s annual KPI handbook.
As an example, for the fifth year running, being non-confrontational and the calibre of site craftspeople are the best aspects of service. Conversely, as in previous years, timeliness of delivery of O&M manuals is the worst aspect of service. In the last year, supply chain management fell slightly (also a low score), as did timeliness of O&M manuals. Given that the quality of O&M manuals is a low score too, this is clearly an area that contractors must address.
Whether you like it or not, you cannot escape the fact that we are in an age when performance measurement is commonly demanded. Organisations are expected to have mechanisms in place to capture performance but the six million dollar question is “can KPIs add benefit to your company?” The answer is YES, but only if you use the feedback effectively to improve your processes and ultimately, the quality of service given.
If you do this, you are more likely to retain your clients, creating a loyal client base and be in a better position for collaborative working. Eliminating inefficiency has a knock on effect on key measures, such as predictability of time, cost, productivity and profitability. Simply capturing scores on completed projects that only tick the “I have done some benchmarking” box will not maximise the value that strategic benchmarking can give. Benchmarking applied intelligently can make a difference.