Coordination of benchmarking projects

MusiQuE can be commissioned by an institution to conduct a benchmarking exercise on its behalf. The method of benchmarking is proposed as a tool for quality enhancement and for internationalisation. It involves choosing appropriate partners at international levels, evaluating and comparing the practices and/or performance of the institution with those of its partners, and sharing best practice. The benchmarking questions (or points of reference) are derived from the MusiQuE Standards.

Objectives

• To improve performance based on the comparison between institutions / departments / programmes that share common objectives and operate under comparable conditions
• To provide institutions with a process that is based upon internationally recognised standards and principles

Process

• The commissioning institution and MusiQuE jointly agree on partner institutions that will join the benchmarking
• MusiQuE and the commissioning institution jointly agree on a set of benchmarking questions (derived from the MusiQuE Standards)
• All benchmarking partner institutions including the commissioning institution share information and data with MusiQuE, based on the benchmarking questions
• The external expert proposed by MusiQuE analyses the information and data collected (in some cases this step is complemented by site-visits to all partners) and produces a benchmarking report

Outcome

• The outcome is a confidential benchmarking report written by international specialist(s) with relevant expertise, highlighting challenges and good practices identified in each partner institution, identifying challenges and proposing solutions, and including a set of recommendations for further improvement