MEASURING UP WITH YARDSTICK - PARKS BENCHMARKING

Yardstick is a benchmarking tool that delivers “need to know” information for your community to inform your decision-making and improve your service delivery. Yardstick Parks comprises two projects which operate on an annual calendar year basis. You can join either one or both projects.

For further information please visit the Yardstick website or email Chris Rutherford. 

Watch the Yardstick Information Session with Troy Sykes

YARDSTICK BENCHMARKS

What is it?

Yardstick provides a system to collect a range of management data, which is analyzed to provide a wide selection of performance indicators and information metrics. It identifies total park provision together with annual operating and capital expenditure. Individual asset provision and costs are identified to produce activity unit rates. It is also designed to identify and promote industry best practice in areas such as service delivery, asset management and strategic planning.

Key Features:

• Audited results to ensure consistency and reliability
  
• Open reporting
  
• User defined peer grouping and individual key performance reports
  
• Country specific questions changed annually based on member feedback

Benefits?

• Identify, plan and improve your strategic goals and direction
  
• Record your operation costs against a variety of criteria
  
• Undertake financial performance reviews and cost estimating
  
• Cost/benefit analysis with accurate and up to date information
  
• Lobby for additional resources.
  
• Drive asset management implementation and improvements
  
• Evaluate your systems and performance
  
• Develop parks strategies and levels of service
  
• Compare locally, nationally and internationally
  
• Prioritize areas for improvement
  
• Thoroughly understand your business, and the strengths and weaknesses of your operation.

How does it work?

Park managers complete an online questionnaire each year to collect financial and usage data for the current year.

One of the Yardstick project managers then visits each member to review the responses to ensure they have interpreted the questions correctly and all members are responded to the questions in an accurate way. This is essential to ensure the results are reliable, accurate and consistent.

Once the member’s responses have been verified, then results are available immediately via the online report. All results are openly reported amongst members of the project and the online system provides the flexibility to enable you to select your own peer group of similar sized municipality or by region, to allow for even more accurate benchmark comparison and individual summary reports of key results.

Price: Annual subscription varies based on organization size please contact Chris Rutherford at chris@yardstickglobal.org for a quote.

YARDSTICK USER SURVEYS

What is it?

A system to survey users of your parks to collect a range of information relating to services and facilities provided and their satisfaction with those services. 

It can be operated as either an intercept survey where users are interviewed directly and results collected via an iPad; or via a self completion survey directly on the website, at the customers convenience.

The open shared benchmarking of results between members provides much more powerful information to accurately assess your performance against the industry, rather than just comparing against your own historic results.

How does it work?

There are two options and either or both can be used.

1) Intercept survey – This is normally undertaken during peak use periods where users of your parks are interviewed using a short survey, with the responses collected on an iPad, to be uploaded to the online database at the end of the day.

2) Self-completion survey – An email address is collected from users and they are sent a link to access the survey online, (or direct access via a webpage can be set up). This can operate throughout the year. Additionally a QR (bar code) can be mounted in a park to enable users to scan by phone and complete directly at any time.

Once a certain number of surveys are complete, results are immediately available in the live online report

Full support is provided by the Yardstick Project Managers throughout the setup and survey project. iPads can be provided on loan as required. Arrangements for Yardstick staff to undertake the surveying can also be arranged as required.

Benefits?

• Understand your customers based on accurate reliable and independent user research
  
• Identify and report on customer satisfaction based on industry benchmarks to provide meaningful performance assessment
• Identify your park users community profile
  
• Define and review your levels of service based on factual evidence
  
• Prioritize improvements and development programs
  
• Option for either or both intercept and self completion surveys
  
• Record user expectations and satisfaction to measure any gaps in levels of service
  
• Include your own specific questions to address specific issues

Key Features?

• Both intercept survey and/or online self-completion survey
  
• Open reporting to provide true performance reporting and awareness across the industry
• Online report user definable to either include/exclude other organisation results, etc
  
• User definable specific questions

Price?

Annual subscription of $5,900, plus survey costs.

Pricing for iPads and surveying staff will by arrangement dependent on the members needs.

YARDSTICK NEWSLETTERS