benchmarking
/ˈben.tʃ.mɑː.kɪŋ/The process of comparing performance, quality, or results with a standard or with other companies, products, or teams. It helps you see what is strong, weak, and worth improving.
- We use benchmarking to compare our service with competitors.
- Benchmarking showed our process was slower than average.
- The team started benchmarking before changing the system.
The act of measuring something against a standard or against similar examples. It is often used in business, education, and technology.
- They are benchmarking the new app against older versions.
- The department is benchmarking its results against last year.
- We benchmarked the website before the redesign.
Adinary Nuance
Benchmarking is not just comparing. It means comparing with a clear standard, often to improve performance. Words like comparing or evaluating are broader, but benchmarking sounds more structured and business-like. In academic and business writing, it is often used when you want a careful, measurable comparison.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- đối chiếu chuẩn
- Spanish
- comparación con estándares
- Chinese
- 基准测试
- Japanese
- ベンチマーキング
- Korean
- 벤치마킹
Etymology
Benchmarking comes from benchmark, a word used in surveying for a fixed point used as a guide. The business sense became common in the late 20th century.
Common phrases
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is benchmarking formal or informal?
- It is fairly formal. You often see it in business, academic, and technical writing.
- What is the difference between benchmarking and comparing?
- Comparing can be general. Benchmarking means comparing with a clear standard or target.
- Can I use benchmarking in IELTS writing?
- Yes, especially in Task 1 or Task 2 when discussing standards, performance, or business.
- Is benchmarking a noun or verb?
- It can be both. As a noun, it names the process; as a verb, it means doing that process.