Who Cares What They're Doing: Is it Right for You?

I'm all for benchmarking-- examining and comparing your organization in light of best practices, industry standards and the like. The problem is, I've seen so many organizations use benchmarking of sorts as a crutch that gets in the way of online change. The problem usually crops up during times of change, say, creating a new Web design or devising a new IA.

Time and again, I've seen an idea proposed that makes sense for the organization and its online presence. It's also clear that it meets a user need. It could be as innocuous as needing a "Calendar" link on the homepage.

And time and again, senior management reacts with "What's X doing?" That X is usually anybody the organization (1) considers an esteemed peer or (2) a to-be-emulated competitor. We can lump that in with benchmarking but it’s often “unnecessary justification.”

But at a certain point, what's it matter what other organizations are doing if what you need to do is right for your organization? That is, it meets the needs of your audience. There’s a pervasive notion that "if they don't, we can't."  How does that serve to raise the bar?

When you think about it, mirroring what others are doing without doing research with your own audience is a short sighted but an often-used driver for many decisions. So, benchmark all you want. But when decision time comes, don’t let another organization’s decisions define yours.