The need for a model

Regardless of sector, size, structure or maturity, organisations need to establish an appropriate management system to be successful. The Excellence Model is a practical tool to help organisations do this by measuring where they are on the path to Excellence; helping them understand the gaps; and then stimulating solutions. The British Quality Foundation (BQF), with the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), is committed to researching and updating the Model with the inputs of tested good practices from thousands of organisations both within and outside of Europe. In this way we ensure the Model remains dynamic and in line with current management thinking.

Overview of the Excellence Model

The Model is an over-arching, non-prescriptive framework based on nine criteria. Five of these are 'Enablers' and four are 'Results'. The 'Enabler' criteria cover what an organisation does. The 'Results' criteria cover what an organisation achieves. 'Results' are caused by 'Enablers'.

The Model, which recognises there are many approaches to achieving sustainable excellence in all aspects of performance, is based on the premise that:

Excellent results with respect to Performance, Customers, People and Society are achieved through Partnerships, Resources, and Processes.

The arrows emphasise the dynamic nature of the model. They show innovation and learning helping to improve enablers that in turn lead to improved results.

Model Contents Structure

The Model's nine boxes, shown above, represent the criteria against which to assess an organisation's progress towards excellence. Each of the nine criteria has a definition, which explains the high level meaning of that criterion.

To develop the high level meaning further each criterion is supported by a number of sub criteria. Sub-criteria pose a number of questions that should be considered in the course of an assessment.
Below each sub-criterion are lists of possible areas to address. The areas to address are not mandatory nor are they exhaustive lists but are intended to further exemplify the meaning of the sub-criterion.

The Fundamental Concepts of Excellence