Setting an acceptable level for the expected outcome of a process or action is called?

• A. Benchmarking
• B. Standardization
• C. Quality Assurance
• D. Process Control

Answer: (A)

Benchmarking uses external performance data to set what an acceptable level of outcome should be. By comparing your process to the best performers or industry standards, you establish targets that are grounded in real-world results rather than just internal estimates. This helps you know when performance is good enough and where to focus improvement efforts. The other concepts focus more on creating uniform procedures (standardization), ensuring quality through planned activities (quality assurance), or monitoring and keeping a process within internal limits (process control), rather than setting targets based on external benchmarks.