Award Criteria










		Seven Criteria
		Award Criteria Framework
		Marking Scheme
		Award Criteria in Detail
		Scoring Guidelines

The core values and concepts are embodied in seven Criteria Categories:

LEADERSHIP

Leadership addresses how your senior leaders' action guide and sustain your organization, setting organizational vision, values, and performance expectations. Attention is given to how your senior leaders communicate with your workforce, enhance their personal leadership skills, participate in organizational learning and develop future leaders, measure organizational performance, and create an environment that encourages ethical behaviour and high performance. The Category also includes your organization's governance system and how your organization fulfills its legal, ethical, and societal responsibilities and support its key communities.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

Strategic Planning addresses strategic and action planning, deployment of plans, how adequate resources are ensured to accomplish the plans, how plans are changed if circumstances require a change, and how accomplishments are measured and sustained. The Category stresses that long term organizational sustainability and your competitive environment are key strategic issues that need to be integral parts of your organization's overall planning. Decisions about your organizational core competencies are an integral part of organizational sustainability and therefore are key strategic decisions.

CUSTOMER FOCUS

Customer Focus addresses how your organization seeks to engage your customers, with a focus on meeting customers' needs, building relationships, and demonstrating loyalty through their investment in your brand and product offerings. The Category stresses this engagement as an important outcome of an overall customer culture and listening, learning, and performance excellence strategy. Your customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction results provide vital information for understanding your customers and the marketplace. In many cases, the voice of the customer provides meaningful information not only on your customers' views but also on their marketplace behaviors and how these views and behaviours may contribute to the sustainability of your organization in the marketplace.

MEASUREMENT, ANALYSIS, AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

The Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management Category is the main point within the Criteria for all key information about effectively measuring, analyzing and improving performance and managing organizational knowledge to drive improvement and organizational competitiveness. In the simplest terms, Category 4.0 is the "brain center" for the alignment of your organization's
operations and its strategic objectives. Central to such use of data and information are their quality and availability. Furthermore, since information, analysis, and knowledge management might themselves be primary sources of competitive advantage and productivity growth, the Category also includes such strategic considerations.

WORKFORCE FOCUS

Workforce Focus addresses key workforce practices—those directed toward creating and maintaining a high-performance work environment and toward engaging your workforce to enable it and your organization to adapt to change and to succeed. The Category covers workforce engagement, development, and management in an integrated way, (i.e., aligned with your organization's strategic
objectives and action plans). Your workforce focus includes your capability and capacity needs and your workforce support climate.

To reinforce the basic alignment of workforce management with overall strategy, the Criteria also cover human resource or workforce planning as part of overall planning in the Strategic Planning Category (Category 2).

PROCESS MANAGEMENT

Process Management is the focal point within the Criteria for your key work systems and work processes. This Category addresses how the work of your organization is accomplished. It stresses the importance of your core competencies and how you protect and capitalize on them for success and organizational
sustainability. It calls for specific attention to the need to prepare for potential emergencies and to ensure continuing of operations. Efficient and effective work systems require effective design; a prevention orientation; and linkage to customers, suppliers, partners, and collaborators, as well as a focus on value creation for all key stakeholders; operational performance; cycle time; emergency
readiness; and evaluation, continuous improvement, and organizational learning.

Agility, cost reduction, and cycle time reduction are increasingly important in all aspects of process management and organizational design. In the simplest terms, "agility" refers to your ability to adapt quickly, flexibly, and effectively to changing requirements. Depending on the nature of your organization’s strategy and markets, agility might mean rapid change from one product to another,
rapid response to changing demands, or the ability to produce a wide range of customized services. Agility also increasingly involves decisions to outsource, agreements with key suppliers, and novel partnering arrangements. Flexibility might demand special strategies, such as implementing modular designs, sharing components, sharing manufacturing lines, and providing specialized training. Cost and cycle time reduction often involve Lean process management strategies. Defect reduction and improved product yield often involve Six Sigma projects. It is crucial to utilize key measures for tracking all aspects of your overall process management.

RESULTS

The Results Category provides a results focus that encompasses your objective evaluation and your customers' evaluation of your organization's products offering your overall financial and market performance, your workforce results, your leadership system and societal responsibility results, and results of all key processes and process improvement activities. Through this focus, the Criteria's purposes - superior value of offerings as viewed by your customers and the marketplace; superior organizational performance as reflected in your operational, workforce, legal, ethical, societal, and financial indicators; and organizational and personal learning - are maintained. Category 7.0 thus provides "real-time" information (measures of progress) for evaluation and improvement of processes and products, in alignment with your overall organizational strategy. Item 4.1 calls for analysis and review of results data and information to determine your overall organizational performance and to set priorities for improvement.

The framework connecting and integrating the Criteria Categories is given in the figure below.

BALDRIGE CRITERIA FOR PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE FRAMEWORK:

A Systems Perspective

From top to bottom, the framework has the following basic elements:

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE

Your Organizational Profile (top of figure) sets the context for the way your organization operates. Your environment, key working relationships, and strategic challenges and advantages serve as an overarching guide for your organizational performance management system.

SYSTEM OPERATIONS

The system operations are composed of the six Baldrige Categories in the center of the figure that define your operations, and the results you achieve.

Leadership (Category 1.0), Strategic Planning (Category 2.0), and Customer Focus (Category 3.0) represent the leadership triad. These Categories are placed together to emphasize the importance of a leadership focus on strategy and customers. Senior leaders set your organizational direction and seek future opportunities for your organization.

Workforce Focus (Category 5.0), Process Management (Category 6.0), and Results (Category 7.0) represent the results triad. Your organization's workforce and key processes accomplish the work of the organization that yields your overall performance results.

All actions point toward Results - a composite of product and service, customer, market and financial, and internal operational performance results, including workforce, leadership, governance, and social responsibility results.

The horizontal arrow in the center of the framework links the leadership triad to the results triad, a linkage critical to organizational success. Furthermore, the arrow indicates the central relationship between Leadership (Category 1.0) and Results (Category 7.0). The two-headed arrow indicates the importance of feedback in an effective performance management system.

SYSTEM FOUNDATION

Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management (Category 4.0) are critical to the effective management of your organization and to a fact-based, knowledge-driven system for improving performance and competitiveness. Measurement, analysis, and knowledge management serve as a foundation for the performance management system.

There are 18 items, each focusing on a major requirement. They are expected to be included in the Final/Written Submission. Maximum point values that can be scored for each item are shown in the chart below.

Preface: Organizational Profile

P.1 Organizational Description
P.2 Organizational Sutuation


2008 Categories/Items	Point Values


1.0	Leadership	120
1.1	Senior Leadership	70
1.2	Governance and Social Responsibilities	50

2.0	Strategic Planning	85
2.1	Strategy Development	40
2.2	Strategy Deployment	45

3.0	Customer Focus	85
3.1	Customer Engagement	40
3.2	Voice of the Customer	45

4.0	Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management	90
4.1	Measurement, Analysis, and Improvement of Organizational Performance	45
4.2	Management of Information, Information Technology, and knowledge	45

5.0	Workforce Focus	85
5.1	Workforce Engagement	45
5.2	Workforce Environment	40

6.0	Process Management	85
6.1	Work Systems	35
6.2	Work Process	50

7.0	Results	450
7.1	Product Outcomes	100
7.2	Customer-Focused Outcomes	70
7.3	Financial and Market Outcomes	70
7.4	Workforce-Focused Outcomes	70
7.5	Process Effectiveness Outcomes	70
7.6	Leadership Outcomes	70
	TOTAL POINTS	1,000

Download Award Criteria in Detail (PDF Version)

Item Notes for Judging Criteria (PDF Version)

Glossary of Terms (PDF Version)

Items in Criteria Categories 1-6 are designated as "Process" Items, while criteria category 7 as "Result" Item. The four factors used to evaluate process are : Approach, Deployment, Learning, and Integration (A-D-L-I). The four factors used to evaluate Levels, Trends, Comparsions and Integration (Le-T-C-I). The scoring are based on a holistic view, not a checklist, of the organization's achievement level across all four factors.

SCORE

PROCESS
(For Use With Categories 1–6)

RESULTS
(For Use With Category 7)

0% or 5%


	No SYSTEMATIC APPROACH to Item requirements is evident; information is ANECDOTAL. (A)
	Little or no DEPLOYMENT of any SYSTEMATIC APPROACH is evident. (D)
	An improvement orientation is not evident; improvement is achieved through reacting to problems. (L)
	No organizational ALIGNMENT is evident; individual areas or work units operate independently. (I)


	There are no organizational PERFORMANCE RESULTS and/or poor RESULTS in areas reported. (Le)
	TREND data either are not reported or show mainly adverse TRENDS. (T)
	Comparative information is not reported. (C)
	RESULTS are not reported for any areas of importance to the accomplishment of your organizational's MISSION. No PERFORMANCE PROJECTIONS are reported. (I)

10%, 15%,
20%, or 25%


	The beginning of a SYSTEMATIC APPROACH to the BASIC REQUIREMENTS of the Item is evident. (A)
	The APPROACH is in the early stages of DEPLOYMENT in most areas or work units, inhibiting progress in achieving the BASIC REQUIREMENTS of the Item. (D)
	Early stages of a transition from reacting to problems to a general improvement orientation are evident. (L)
	The APPROACH is ALIGNED with other areas or work units largely through joint problem solving. (I)


	A few organizational PERFORMANCE RESULTS are reported, and early good PERFORMANCE LEVELS are evident in a few areas. (Le)
	Some TREND data are reported, with some adverse TRENDS evident. (T)
	Little or no comparative information is reported. (C)
	RESULTS are reported for a few areas of importance to the accomplishment of your organization's MISSION. Limited or no PERFORMANCE PROJECTIONS are reported. (I)

30%, 35%,
40%, or 45%


	An EFFECTIVE, SYSTEMATIC APPROACH, responsive to the BASIC REQUIREMENTS of the Item, is evident. (A)
	The APPROACH is DEPLOYED, although some areas or work units are in early stages of DEPLOYMENT. (D)
	The beginning of a SYSTEMATIC APPROACH to evaluation and improvement of KEY PROCESSES is evident. (L)
	The APPROACH is in early stages of ALIGNMENT with your basic organizational needs identified in response to the Organizational Profile and other Process Items. (I)


	Good organizational PERFORMANCE LEVELS are reported for some areas of importance to the Item requirements. (Le)
	Some TREND data are reported, and a majority of the TRENDS presented are beneficial. (T)
	Early stages of obtaining comparative information are evident. (C)
	RESULTS are reported for many areas of importance to the accomplishment of your organization's MISSION. Limited PERFORMANCE PROJECTIONS are reported. (I)

50%, 55%,
60%, or 65%


	An EFFECTIVE, SYSTEMATIC APPROACH, responsive to the OVERALL REQUIREMENTS of the Item, is evident. (A)
	The APPROACH is well DEPLOYED, although DEPLOYMENT may vary in some areas or work units. (D)
	A fact-based, SYSTEMATIC evaluation and improvement PROCESS and some organizational LEARNING, including INNOVATION, are in place for improving the efficiency and EFFECTIVENESS of KEY PROCESSES. (L)
	The APPROACH is ALIGNED with your organizational needs identified in response to the Organizational Profile and other Process Items. (I)


	Good organizational PERFORMANCE LEVELS are reported for most areas of importance to the Item requirements. (Le)
	Beneficial TRENDS are evident in areas of importance to the accomplishment of your organization's MISSION. (T)
	Some current PERFORMANCE LEVELS have been evaluated against relevant comparisons and/or BENCHMARKS and show areas of good relative PERFORMANCE. (C)
	Organizational PERFORMANCE RESULTS are reported for most KEY CUSTOMER, market, and PROCESS requirements. PERFORMANCE PROJECTIONS for some high-priority RESULTS are reported. (I)

70%, 75%,
80%, or 85%


	An EFFECTIVE, SYSTEMATIC APPROACH, responsive to the MULTIPLE REQUIREMENTS of the Item, is evident. (A)
	The APPROACH is well DEPLOYED, with no significant gaps. (D)
	Fact-based, SYSTEMATIC evaluation and improvement and organizational LEARNING, including INNOVATION, are KEY management tools; there is clear evidence of refinement as a result of organizational-level ANALYSIS and sharing. (L)
	The APPROACH is INTEGRATED with your organizational needs identified in response to the Organizational Profile and other Process Items. (I)


	Good to excellent organizational PERFORMANCE LEVELS are reported for most areas of importance to the Item requirements. (Le)
	Beneficial TRENDS have been sustained over time in most areas of importance to the accomplishment of your organization's MISSION. (T)
	Many of most TRENDS and current PERFORMANCE LEVELS have been evaluated against relevant comparisons and/or BENCHMARKS and show areas of leadership and very good relative PERFORMANCE. (C)
	Organizational PERFORMANCE RESULTS are reported for most KEY CUSTOMER, market, PROCESS, and ACTION PLAN requirements, and they include some projections of your future performance. (I)

90%, 95%, or 100%


	An EFFECTIVE, SYSTEMATIC APPROACH, fully responsive to the MULTIPLE REQUIREMENTS of the Item, is evident. (A)
	The APPROACH is fully DEPLOYED without significant weaknesses or gaps in any areas or work units. (D)
	Fact-based, SYSTEMATIC evaluation and improvement and organizational LEARNING through INNOVATION are KEY organization wide tools; refinement and INNOVATION, backed by ANALYSIS and sharing, are evident throughout the organization. (L)
	The APPROACH is well INTEGRATED with your organizational needs identified in response to the Organizational Profile and other Process Itrems. (I)


	Excellent organizational PERFORMANCE LEVELS are reported for most areas of importance to the Item requirements. (Le)
	Beneficial TRENDS have been sustained over time in all areas of importance to the accomplishment of your organization's MISSION. (T)
	Evidence of industry and BENCHMARK leadership is demonstrated in many areas. (C)
	Organizational PERFORMANCE RESULTS fully address KEY CUSTOMER, market, PROCESS, and ACTION PLAN requirements, and they include PROJECTIONS of your future PERFORMANCE. (I)