Dubai Quality Group organises new benchmarking seminar

The seminar, which was held at Le Meridien Hotel - Airport Road, featured a powerful line-up of local experts who discussed the latest trends in benchmarking practices.

The group of experienced practitioners who spoke at the seminar included Ali Fadhlani, Manager of Business Excellence Programs and Group Business Excellence, Dubai Holding; Husniya Al Ali, Head of Customer Relation, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA); Nabil Tabchouri, General Manager for International Projects, Al Khaleej Sugar; and Rania Hawilo, Manager - Staffing & Employee Relations, Dubai Healthcare City.

"Dubai Quality Group would like to emphasise the critical importance of benchmarking initiatives in raising the level of quality and performance of organisations. More importantly, we want DQG members and the business community to embrace a systematic and scientific approach to benchmarking, which will ensure the best results and deliver positive impact on business performance. DQG is pleased to have assembled four highly accomplished professionals who collectively possess a wealth of knowledge and expertise in benchmarking processes that are highly conducive for the local business environment,"

said Marwan Al Sawaleh, Chairman of DQG.

Ali Fadhlani, Manager of Business Excellence Programs and Group Business Excellence, Dubai Holding commented, "Benchmarking gives organisations greater flexibility to develop long-term and short-term strategies that deliver a truly positive impact on their businesses. In a highly competitive environment such as Dubai, having the right concepts and attitude towards benchmarking is indeed an important strategic edge. We are pleased that Dubai Quality Group has taken the initiative to promote the importance of benchmarking and help organisations make the most out of benchmarking processes."

Benchmarking is essentially the process of comparing the cost, time or quality of what an organization does against what another organization does. This process helps organisations create a business case for developing new policies and implementing important changes geared towards improving business performance.

During the seminar, Fadhlani highlighted several key points that are unique for benchmarking. The seminar also covered a number of aspects related to benchmarking including a detailed discussion of its business value along with the objectives and the different types of benchmarking. The seminar also discussed other topics such as the EFQM Excellence Model, which serves as the foundation for benchmarking; common misconception about benchmarking; and a case study featuring Dubai Holding's benchmarking process.

DQG has previously organised several activities focusing on benchmarking initiatives, including the 'Benchmarking Trip to the UK,' with the aim of sharing best practices in leadership, human resources and customer service, which provided DQG members an exclusive opportunity to learn the latest benchmarking techniques and practices from award-winning organisations based in the UK. DQG is also preparing to undertake its latest benchmarking trip in the last week of November in the field of human resources, in coordination with two leading companies in the UAE.