GRAPA Standards for 2010

We are more than half finished with the year 2009 and it has been an exciting and dynamic year for GRAPA. The biggest single event of 2009 was the publication and distribution of our first officially ratified set of standards. In just a few short months, we have distributed over 2000 copies of these standards, and the reports are overwhelmingly positive from every region and segment of the industry.

While the 2009 standards are certainly a positive step in the right direction, there is still an incredible amount of work to do. Already we are working on the development of a set of proposals for inclusion in the standards for 2010 and I thought I would share some of our thoughts about this here.

First of all, while the 2009 standards are nice, there is some ‘fine tuning” and clarification that is required to solidify them. Feedback from the field has indicated several needs:

First – Expansion of the Body of Knowledge

The Body of Knowledge is the foundational cornerstone of any professional organization/certification effort, and as such, it is here where we will always place primary focus. While the majority of our principles, methodologies and structures have met with overwhelming acceptance, there are several corrections, additions and clarifications currently submitted for consideration. This includes the following:

1. Expand the core body of knowledge to include a basic understanding of both financial accounting and managerial accounting concepts and applications. Since most revenue assurance groups report to the CFO, the inclusion of this requirement makes sense to me, and it will definitely be proposed for 2010.
2. Expand the core body of knowledge to put more emphasis and be more explicit regarding the analytical skills and techniques required. Again, I agree and support this enhancement whole-heartedly, and we will work up a draft for inclusion in the proposal for 2010.

In addition to these two “clarifications”, three areas call out for a much bigger effort on our part. I have categorized these as the follows:

1. Revenue Assurance Governance (RAG) – Many have cited, and rightly so, that the GRAPA standards currently leave a great deal of latitude regarding the way revenue assurance should be managed and governed. We include the following topics under Revenue Assurance Governance:
   1. Management Direction and Prioritization (Steering Committees, Management Oversight, etc….)
   2. KPI development and assignment
   3. The formal publication of standard controls for each domain and methods for the handling exceptions.

In response to this demand, we will be publishing a proposed framework and initial set of standards for Revenue Assurance Governance. In this draft document, we will propose a comprehensive structure for the governance of Revenue Assurance including management oversight, management synchronization, KPI alignment, domain and scope management, compliance and the publication of the first official standard controls document. This is going to be a massive effort, and you are invited to participate in the work. Stay tuned for more information about this new “standards draft.” We then plan to launch an enhanced “Master of Revenue Assurance Management” curriculum to provide people with training in the new Governance framework.

1. Fraud And Risk Management (FARM) – While GRAPA standards show that many fraud management teams are part of the revenue assurance function, and even though there is a large body of knowledge with an expertise overlap between the two, the membership has made it clear that the issues of Fraud And Risk Management require an additional specialization, body of knowledge, and procedural base.

We are in the process of recruiting Regional Chairpersons to head up the Fraud and Risk Management Standard development process around the world. While still anchored to GRAPA, we will initiate the launch of Fraud and Risk Management Chapters in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and anywhere else where the interest appears. If you are interested in participation in the process, please contact Chris@grapatel.com or send an email to info@grapatel.com expressing your interest.

A new, separate addendum to the Body of Knowledge specific to Fraud and Risk Management, and a specialized Standards Document will be developed and corresponding training and certification offered.

1. Margin and Market Assurance – “Broad Spectrum Revenue Assurance.” Finally, the other area requiring major development work (and possible splintering from the GRAPA core) is in the Margin and Market Assurance areas. As with Fraud and Risk Management, we find that while there is an underlying core of body of knowledge and expertise, the Margin and Market Assurance area may need to be handled as a separate specialized “sub-set” of the main GRAPA core. What we have been calling Margin and Market Assurance has already expanded into areas where the name is not inclusive enough, so we have started to call all the areas of “non-traditional” revenue assurance functions “Broad Spectrum Revenue Assurance.”

We are currently trying to figure out how best to leverage, blend and accommodate this critical aspect of revenue assurance within our overall structure. At a minimum, you can count on a draft set of standards and a proposed treatment for these disciplines early in 2010, with corresponding training and certification activity.

So, just in case you thought that the Revenue Assurance business was going to get boring, or that you had it all figured out–just hold on, there is a lot more to come. In 2010, you can look forward to, and participate in:

1. Enhancements to the current standards and body of knowledge.
2. Expansion and formalization of the Revenue Assurance Governance Discipline, providing KPIs, standard control lists and other critical tools for the expansion of your revenue assurance department.
3. Expansion and formalization of the Fraud and Risk Management Discipline – specifically for Fraud Management and Risk Management professionals.
4. Examples and formalization of greatly improved margin, marketing, new product development and network utilization assurance disciplines under the proposed “broad spectrum revenue assurance” label.

For 2010 there will be more standards, more training, more certification and more chances for you to participate in the professionalization of the revenue assurance discipline than ever before.

Please volunteer early and often.

I look forward to meeting with many of you in the coming months and until that time; this is Rob Mattison saying “Be Safe.”