The Baldrige Framework The Baldrige criteria represent a continuous improvement framework that is focused on the customer, led

by management, based on facts and data, and directed toward results. The framework:

Defines what constitutes quality and performance excellence. Projects clear values. Measures both qualitative and quantitative aspects of performance and quality management systems. Is compatible with different approaches and systems. Applies to any organization of any size and kind that provides a product or service to a customer or user. Together with the scoring guidelines, forms a diagnostic assessment system comprising three basic elements

1) Strategy and Action Plans are the organization-level requirements, derived from the planning process, that must be done well if the organizations strategy is to succeed. These guide overall resource decisions and drive the alignment of measures for all work units to ensure customer satisfaction and market success. 2) The System comprises the six Baldrige Categories that define the organization, its operations, and its results. Those results are a composite of:

Customer satisfaction and retention. Financial and marketplace performance. Human resource performance and development. Supplier performance and development. Product and service performance.

Productivity, operational effectiveness, and responsiveness. Public responsibility and good citizenship.

The use of a composite of indicators helps to ensure that strategies are balanced, so that they do not require or imply inappropriate trade-offs among important stakeholders or objectives or between short- and long-term goals. 3) Information and Analysis are critical to the effective management of the organization and to a fact-based system for improving organizational performance and market competitiveness. Baldrige Core Values The Baldrige criteria rest on a foundation of core values and concepts that define how key business requirements are integrated within a results-oriented framework.

Customer-driven quality. Quality is defined and judged by the customer, and must therefore account for all product and service features and characteristics that contribute value to customers. Leadership. Senior leaders set directions and create a customer orientation, clear stakeholder-driven values, and high expectations. Continuous improvement and learning. Performance excellence requires that continuous improvement and learning be a regular part of daily work, seek to eliminate problems at their source, and be driven by opportunities to do better. Employee participation and development. Companies need to invest in the development of the work force through education, training, and opportunities for continuing growth. Fast response. Success in competitive markets requires shorter cycles for product and service introduction and faster and more flexible response to customers. Design quality and prevention. By emphasizing design quality, companies can prevent problems and waste by building quality into products and services and efficiency into production and delivery processes. Long-range view of the future. Pursuit of market leadership requires a strong future orientation and a willingness to make long-term commitments to key stakeholders. Management by fact. Operations and decisions of the company should be based on measurement and data-driven performance analysis. Measures and indicators should be selected to best represent the factors that lead to improved customer, operational, and financial performance. Partnership development. Internal and external partnerships enable companies to accomplish their overall goals. Company responsibility and citizenship. Basic expectations of the company include business ethics, protection of public health, safety, and the environment, and support of publicly important purposes. Results focus. The performance system needs to focus on results, which are guided by and balanced by the interests of all stakeholders.