Getting Started with Baldrige

Use self-assessments and other products and services derived from the Baldrige Excellence Framework® to improve your processes, performance, and results.

Are We Making Progress? and Are We Making Progress as Leaders?

Two questionnaires that will introduce the Baldrige Criteria categories to your organization and help you quickly identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.

easyInsight: Take a First Step toward a Baldrige Self-Assessment

Online survey helps identify gaps in understanding your organization and allows you to compare your organization to others.

Create the Organizational Profile

Complete your Organizational Profile to identify a deep understanding of your organization.

Are You a Role-Model Leader?

Assess yourself and your leadership team against these role-model leadership attributes and behaviors.

Foundations for a Successful Business

Foundations for a Successful Business helps your organization identify and leverage strengths and prepare to face challenges. This improvement tool describes organizational success in seven fundamental areas that apply to any corporation, nonprofit, government, or academic institution.

Baldrige Excellence Builder® 

Use the Baldrige Excellence Builder®, an abridged version of the Baldrige Excellence Framework®, to answer key questions for improving your organization's performance.

Baldrige Excellence Framework®

Conduct a self-assessment using the Baldrige Excellence Framework and its 36+ years of best practices.​ Below are six steps for conducting a self-assessment. We encourage you to modify this process to meet your own organizational needs.

Step 1.  Identify the boundaries/scope of the assessment
The self-assessment might cover the entire organization, a subunit, a division, or a department.

Step 2.  Select Champions
Then select seven champions, one for each category in the Baldrige Excellence Builder® or Criteria. These champions each lead a team in preparing responses to the questions in a Criteria Category. If they have not already done so, have the champions prepare an Organizational Profile describing your organization and its challenges.

Step 3.  Select Category teams, and collect data and information to answer the questions
The champions select Category teams, and the teams collect information and data in response to the questions in their respective Categories.

Step 4.  Share the answers to the questions among the Category teams
In sharing the answers, the Category teams identify common themes.

Step 5.  Create and communicate an action plan for improvement
Each Category team creates and communicates an action plan for improvement based on their answers and organizational priorities. The Self-Analysis Worksheet can help your Category teams identify strengths and opportunities, set priorities, and develop action plans.

Step 6.  Evaluate the self-assessment process, and identify possible improvements
Senior leaders, champions, and teams evaluate the self-assessment and think about ways to improve it. 

Step 7.  Contact Your Alliance for Performance Excellence Program
Baldrige-based programs that are members of the nationwide Alliance for Performance Excellence network offer assessments against the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence® and provide other services to organizations that are striving to improve their performance, earn recognition as they progress along their improvement journeys, and ultimately achieve the levels of performance necessary to compete for the national award.

Apply for the Baldrige Award

Be Recognized and Experience the Benefits! 

If your organization is high-performing and tracking results, apply for the Baldrige Award. 

• Your organization may receive Presidential and/or U.S. Department of Commerce recognition as a national role model and/or an award finalist​. 
• With recognition, your organization may also realize a competitive advantage and a validated brand, as well as receive a special honor related to your core business/values and aligned with your organization’s purpose​. 
• All applicants for the Baldrige Award will receive an evaluation report--unique insights related to your performance, innovation, and readiness for disruption.

View the Award Criteria and learn more about the benefits of applying.