The Productivity Audit - Mark Spelman

Productivity improvement is increasingly recognised in the service sector - as well as in the manufacturing sector - as the key to performance improvement.

This audit outlines why and how managers should carry out productivity assessments. It provides a set of business tools to help define the scope of the audit, the steps to be taken, and the types of situations where an audit may be used.

Because every organisation will need to develop a set of productivity measures that are suited to its own business sector and structure, the audit does not attempt to provide objective metrics. Instead it offers a detailed system for identifying target processes and developing appropriate measures. Sample questionnaires, checklists, measures and assessments are provided - you can adapt these to suit your organisation's specific needs.

In practice, once the overall consistency of operations objectives and corporate strategy has been assessed, a productivity audit can be applied to any department or key business process within your company.

Use the audit to find out:

• the 6 essential steps to a full productivity audit

• how to use Value Chain and Business Process Analysis in an internal productivity audit

• how to put your productivity audit in a strategic context

• 7 objective data sources which your audit team can use

• how to set and assess group/department objectives within the audit.

The Productivity Audit will help your company create consistent productivity measures right across your firm. Use it on a regular basis to plot progress in each department or business process.