Participatory Action Research

Collaborative Benchmarking

Collaborative Benchmarking is a participatory activity designed to compare a current process or practice with external references (best practices, industry standards, or processes from other areas). Participants work in teams to identify areas for improvement, adapting external learnings to their own context.


Duration
60 to 120 minutes, depending on the depth of analysis and the number of processes to evaluate.
Participants
6 to 20 participants, divided into small teams to facilitate comparative analysis.
Collaborative Benchmarking

Preparation

Step-by-step instructions

Materials

Documents or information on best practices or external standards.
Matrices or tools to record comparisons (digital or physical).
Whiteboards, sticky notes, or collaborative boards to record findings and proposals.
Digital tools

Platforms

For virtual sessions or collaborative documentation.

Practical recommendations

Select relevant references: Ensure that external practices are applicable to the evaluated process.

Encourage creativity: Motivate teams to adapt, not just copy, external ideas.

Document the process: Record comparisons and proposals for implementation and follow-up.

Prioritize actions: Focus improvements on those with the greatest impact and feasibility.