Intensive competition has induced organizations all around the world to start an unending search and deployment of new and best ways of practice.

Benchmarking can be defined as a process for improving performance by constantly identifying, understanding and adapting best practices and processes followed inside and outside the company and implementing the results. The main emphasis of benchmarking is on improving a given business operation or a process by exploiting 'best practices,' not on 'best performance.'

Benchmark Index defines benchmarking as following:

"A method of improving performance in a systematic and logical way by measuring and comparing your performance against others, and then using the lessons learned from the best to make targeted improvements"

Usually, benchmarking is carried out within the same industry. However, benchmarking is often carried out between organizations that have similar processes but belong to different industries. By benchmarking the process across industries, the organization sometimes achieves greater results than by sticking to its own industry.