Scoring Band Descriptors

Band        Band

Score       Number       Descriptors

0–275               1            The organization demonstrates the early stages of developing and implementing approaches to Category requirements, with deployment lagging and inhibiting progress. Improvement efforts focus on problem solving. A few important results are reported, but they generally lack trend and comparative data.

 276–375           2           The organization demonstrates effective, systematic approaches responsive to the basic requirements of the Items, but some areas or work units are in the early stages of deployment. The organization has developed a general improvement orientation that is forward-looking. The organization obtains results stemming from its approaches, with some improvements and good performance. The use of comparative and trend data is in the early stages.

 376–475           3           The organization demonstrates effective, systematic approaches responsive to the basic requirements of most Items, although there are still areas or work units in the early stages of deployment. Key processes are beginning to be systematically evaluated and improved. Results address many areas of importance to the organization's key requirements, with improvements and/or good performance being achieved. Comparative and trend data are available for some of these important results areas.

 476–575           4           The organization demonstrates effective, systematic approaches responsive to the overall requirements of the Items, but deployment may vary in some areas or work units. Key processes benefit from fact-based evaluation and improvement, and approaches are being aligned with organizational needs. Results address key customer/stakeholder, market, and process requirements, and they demonstrate some areas of strength and/or good performance against relevant comparisons. There are no patterns of adverse trend or poor performance in areas of importance to the organization's key requirements.

 576–675           5           The organization demonstrates effective, systematic, well-deployed approaches responsive to the overall requirements of the Items. The organization demonstrates a fact-based, systematic evaluation and improvement process and organizational learning that result in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of key processes. Results address most key customer/stakeholder, market, and process requirements, and they demonstrate areas of strength against relevant comparisons and/or benchmarks. Improvement trend and/or good performance are reported for most areas of importance to the organization's key requirements.

 676–775           6           The organization demonstrates refined approaches responsive to the multiple requirements of the Items. These approaches are characterized by the use of key measures, good good deployment, evidence of innovation, and very good results in most areas. Organizational integration, learning, and sharing are key management tools. Results address many customer/stakeholder, market, process, and action plan requirements. The organization is an industry* leader in some areas.

 776–875           7           The organization demonstrates refined approaches responsive to the multiple requirements of the Items. It also demonstrates innovation, excellent deployment, and good-to-excellent performance levels in most areas. Good-to-excellent integration is evident, with organizational analysis, learning, and sharing of best practices as key management strategies. Industry* leadership and some benchmark leadership are demonstrated in results that address most key customer/stakeholder, market, process, and action plan requirements.

 876–1000         8           The organization demonstrates outstanding approaches focused on innovation, full deployment, and excellent, sustained performance results. There is excellent integration of approaches with organizational needs. Organizational analysis, learning, and sharing of best practices are pervasive. National and world leadership is demonstrated in results that fully address key customer/stakeholder, market, process, and action plan requirements.

*Industry refers to other organizations performing substantially the same functions, thereby facilitating direct comparisons.