Information and Communications Technology (ICT) · 2017. 11. 7. · The ICT regional guide, developed through this project, provides ... and the aid effectiveness agenda. Currently,

Information and Communications Technology (ICT)

A GUIDE FOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANCY ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA

Acknowledgments This guide was produced by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

(ACCA) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK)

under the IFAC accountancy capacity building program

with funding provided by UK aid from the UK government.

The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies.

Endorsement The Pan African Federation of Accountants (PAFA) is a regional organization dedicated to supporting the development of the accountancy profession, facilitating convergence to international standards,

and providing leadership in addressing issues affecting the accountancy profession in Africa.

PAFA endorses and recommends this publication to all existing and aspiring professional accountancy organizations in Africa.

Copyright Statement Copyright © April 2017 by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC),

the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK). All rights reserved. Contact [email protected] for permission

to reproduce, store, transmit, translate, or make other similar uses of this document.

Disclaimer The contents of this guide are based on current technology and systems thinking at the time of writing.

Contents

INTRODUCTION BY IFAC ...................................................................................................................5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................6

1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................7

2. AUDIENCE .....................................................................................................................................8

3. REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE ...........................................................................................................9

4. REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE ...................................................................................................11 4.1. Business Architecture ......................................................................................................12 4.1.1. Reference Business Capability Model for PAOs ................................................12 4.1.2. Reference Business Process Model for PAOs ....................................................13

4.2. Logical Application Model .............................................................................................14 4.2.1. Common Conceptual Components ...................................................................14 4.2.2. Strategy, Governance, Regulation and Legal Management ............................15 4.2.3. Products & Services Development, Qualification Planning

and Profession Development Management ......................................................16 4.2.4. Brand, Sales and Marketing Management ........................................................17 4.2.5. Relationship Engagement and Operational Services Management ...............18 4.2.6. Qualifications Management ................................................................................19 4.2.7. Information & Knowledge Management ...........................................................20 4.2.8. IT Management ....................................................................................................21 4.2.9. Financial & Asset Management ..........................................................................22 4.2.10. Human Resource Management ..........................................................................23

5. TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................24

6. MATURITY MODEL .....................................................................................................................26

7. HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE ........................................................................................................27 7.1. Inputs .................................................................................................................................27 7.2. Steps ..................................................................................................................................28

8. MATURITY LEVELS ......................................................................................................................31

9. GLOSSARY ...................................................................................................................................37

10. PAO REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE ..........................................................................................38

11. APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................39 Table 1: Common Conceptual Components ............................................................................39 Table 2: Strategy, Governance, Regulation and Legal Management .....................................41 Table 3: Products & Services Development, Qualification Planning

and Profession Development Management ...............................................................42 Table 4: Brand, Sales and Marketing Management .................................................................43 Table 5: Relationship Engagement and Operational Services Management ........................45 Table 6: Qualifications Management .........................................................................................47 Table 7: Information & knowledge management .....................................................................50 Table 8: IT & Transformation Management ...............................................................................52 Table 9: Financial & Asset Management ...................................................................................53 Table 10: HR .................................................................................................................................54

The following individuals contributed their time and expertise during the development of the ICT Guide for PAOs in Africa.

Contributors

ICPAKLead Contributors:

• Dennis Milgo

• Edwin Makori

ACCALead Contributors:

• George Lynch

• Kirsty McLaren

Other contributors:

• Andrew Steele

• Chris Plank

• Jamil Ampomah

• Jem Anderton

• Jodie Isle

• Jonathan Mbewe

• Mahalah Groves

• Ross Duncan

• Stephen Hunter

ICAG• Osei Kwaku Adjaye-Gyamfi

iCPAR• Amin Miramago

• Mkombozi Karake

• Olivier Nshizirungu

IFAC• Dana Jensen

• Joseph Bryson

• Linda Lach

• Marta Russell

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT): A guide for professional accountancy organisations in Africa

4

A healthy economy needs a well-functioning accountancy profession—one supplying high-quality financial information produced by skilled professionals. These professionals are best supported by strong professional accountancy organisations (PAOs). When PAOs function effectively, they help sustain a strong accountancy profession that is able to serve the public interest and contribute to economic stability and growth. As such, focusing capacity building efforts on strengthening PAOs supports the production of high-quality financial reporting, auditing, and financial management. This in turn:

• attracts foreign direct investment;

• promotes growth and development of the small- and medium-sized entity sector;

• increases transparency and accountability in the use of public funds; and

• enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of official development assistance.

The IFAC PAO Capacity Building Program, currently funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), supports PAOs’ development and growth around the world. By working with IFAC’s global stakeholders—PAOs, international donors, the international development community, and many others—the Program works to solve the global need for

growth and development in the accountancy profession, all in support of the public interest.

The full spectrum of a PAO’s responsibilities can be divided into nine components that, when properly addressed, contribute to a successful PAO that serves both the public and private sectors. The components are interdependent and fall into three categories, considered the “building blocks” of PAO capacity building.

• Sustainability: appropriate legal foundation(s), governance structure, and operational capacity.

• Standards and enforcement: facilitating the adoption and implementation of standards for accountancy education, ethics, audit, and public sector accounting based on international benchmarks and monitoring compliance.

• Relevance: the connectivity between a PAO and its membership base and broader society in order to understand and respond to the needs of both groups across the private and public sectors.

A strong Information Communication Technology (ICT) system is key to a PAO’s effective functioning. It improves efficiency and enhances service delivery to members, students, and other constituents, thereby leading to increased public trust and contributing to the organization’s on-going sustainability.

Introduction by IFAC


5

Strong Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems are a key component of an effective PAO. Fit-for-purpose ICT is critical for the successful development and long-term sustainability of PAOs. Developed systems should support and strengthen the PAO’s capability across all of its operational activities. Every PAO should have a clear vision for the maturity of their systems and a roadmap detailing how they plan to achieve this vision.

With limited resources and time, it is essential that PAOs have confidence in their ICT strategy and roadmap to achieve that strategy. IFAC has therefore commissioned a project under its UK Department for International Development (DFID) funded capacity building programme to develop guidance on building strong ICT systems for PAOs in Africa.

The ICT regional guide, developed through this project, provides a framework to help PAOs to undertake a holistic view of their organisation and determine how they should invest to harness the benefits of Information Communication Technology.

This guide provides a framework to develop an ICT strategy and supports the development of a tailored roadmap to deliver that strategy. The guide should enable PAOs to develop ICT roadmaps that:

• Meet the individual needs of the user (PAO), based on their current infrastructure, level of development, regulatory obligations and number of stakeholders.

• Consider external and environmental factors that may impact their ICT planning.

The guide will help PAOs develop their ICT roadmap to underpin the full range of services to its stakeholders and will support the development of long-term sustainable ICT systems for PAOs in the African region. The guide has been developed using ICT best practice and experience of the systems used by PAOs across the globe and at all levels of maturity.

The guide assesses:

• The core activities required to service a growing student and member community – using a standard reference architecture.

• A PAO’s individual current ICT capability against their future ICT vision and requirements – in the context of their own strategy, level of development and environmental impacts – using a maturity model.

The gap between these two states will form the basis for PAOs to develop their ICT roadmap.

The adoption of this guide as a common model, based on international best-practice, will foster re-use, knowledge transfer and the sharing of best practice amongst PAOs in the region. This will also allow a structured approach to facilitate the preparation of tender proposals for system procurement and development.

We are grateful to the following contributors during the development of this guide:

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)

• Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK)

• Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Rwanda (iCPAR)

• Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana (ICAG).

Executive Summary


6

Often organisations will undertake the implementation of information systems without a clear analysis of their needs and how the technology will drive the organisation.

This can result in an ICT landscape that is based on perceived immediate need rather than alignment to the organisation’s core business capabilities.

This document provides guidance on good practice in planning and procuring ICT systems for PAOs in Africa. The guide will help PAOs to enhance their ICT strategy and develop an ICT roadmap that supports the delivery of a full range of services to its stakeholders. If followed, the guide should support the development of long-term sustainable ICT systems for PAOs in the African region.

The guide has been developed using ICT best practice and experience of the systems used by PAOs across the globe and at all levels of maturity.

The guide includes a reference architecture that encompasses the core activities required to service a growing student and member community.

In addition to the reference architecture, a maturity model enables PAOs to assess their individual current ICT capability against their future ICT vision and requirements. The gap between these two states will form the basis for a roadmap for change.

The adoption of this guide as a common model, based on international best-practice, should foster re-use, knowledge transfer and the sharing of best practice amongst PAOs in the region. This structured approach should also facilitate the preparation of tender proposals for system procurement and development.

1. Introduction


7

This document is primarily intended for PAO employees that are involved in or have responsibility for ICT planning and budgeting or technology architecture related activity. These roles may include:

• Chief Executive Officers

• Chief Finance Officers

• Chief Information Officers

• ICT managers

• Internal audit or risk managers

• Information standard or policy officers

• ICT architects

• Software developers and solution designers

• Programme and project managers

• Examination Directors

• Continuing professional development (CPD) administrators

• Councils or Boards of various PAOs.

2. Audience


8

CONTEXTAfrica is fast becoming the new frontier for emerging market investors. The region is recognised as the world’s poorest inhabited continent however across the continent there are vast natural resources, a low cost labour force, strengthening trade ties with Asian and Middle East countries and improving literacy and education. Africa is expected to further realise its potential in the future and become an important player in the international arena.

The continent accounts for 12% of the world population but generates 1% of global GDP and only 2% of world trade. Despite this, six of the world’s ten most rapidly expanding economies are now located in sub-Saharan Africa.

Planning and investment are critical if Africa’s huge economic and developmental potential are to be realised.

Africa requires major investments in three areas, namely institutions, integration and infrastructure.

THE ROLE OF THE ACCOUNTANCY PROFESSION AND STRONG, EFFECTIVE PAOS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTOne group of institutions that is critical to the transformation is PAOs. Effective PAOs form the foundation for a strong accountancy profession, they hold the power to support the production of high-quality financial information, embed ethical and well-regulated practices and contribute to public and private sector development, economic growth, and the aid effectiveness agenda.

Currently, the African region includes many entities that can be considered PAOs – national-level membership bodies comprised of individual professional accountants, auditors, and/or accounting technicians who perform a variety of roles in the field of public and private sector accountancy and adhere to high-quality standards of practice. Of these organisations, twenty five PAOs in twenty four countries are recognised as IFAC members or associates.

Although this represents only approximately half of all countries in the Africa region, many more are currently striving to achieve recognition. They are actively working with IFAC, IFAC Recognized Regional Organisations (ROs) and Acknowledged Accountancy Groupings (AAGs) to follow the path set by the IFAC Statements of Membership Obligations (SMOs) to strengthen their operations and the accounting profession.

In addition to national-level PAOs, there are also three regional accountancy organisations with status in IFAC that support development of the profession in Africa.

While PAO capacity is generally low across the region, there are some PAOs that maintain strong staffing, professional management, an adequate committee structure, and sufficient funding to facilitate core functions and membership services.

Africa region PAOs tend to maintain strong volunteerism and leverage this to meet their objectives.

Support from the donor community has greatly aided in raising awareness of the importance of a strong accountancy profession and the role PAOs play in the economy as a resource for national accountancy development; however, the need for support in this area continues.

THE STRUCTURE OF PAOS AND ACCOUNTANCY EDUCATION AND REGULATION IN THE AFRICA REGIONPAOs in the Africa region typically require a university degree or completion of the PAO’s accountancy education program as a first step in attaining membership. In addition, most PAOs require passage of an examination as well as three years of practical experience prior to being certified as a professional accountant.

Requirements for practical experience and CPD vary more widely. At this point, few Africa region PAOs maintain formal systems for monitoring the achievement of practical experience and CPD.

One important trend at the regional level regarding professional certification is the development of a broader profession with different education requirements, assessment, and practical experience suited for different areas of focus within the broader accountancy profession (e.g. accounting technician, management accountant, and auditor).

Many PAOs struggle with the task of updating accountancy education, examination and CPD materials to reflect additions and modifications to international standards.

In recognition of these challenges to CPD, several PAOs have indicated the intention to consider CPD systems and undertake activities to bring their systems into greater alignment with International Education Standards (IESs), issued by the International Accounting Education Standards Board (IAESB), in the future.

Although the use of Internet technologies provides new directions for scholarship and access to services is growing there are discrepancies among nations and regions. As a result these technologies have not been fully exploited in Africa and there is an opportunity for forward thinking PAOs to take the lead.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYAfrica has a legacy of failed ICT projects and underutilised equipment with numerous examples of systems that are not used because of the lack of secondary equipment, suitable electric power or training and there has been insufficient progress in the use of technology to solve real business problems.

Part of the problem is that few ICT policies or strategic buying plans exist which clearly identify the needs that are likely to bring

3. Regional Perspective


9

overall benefit to a nation, or which determine what may be achieved with the available resources.

The application of ICT systems in sub-Saharan Africa have so far been mainly the result of isolated initiatives without preconceived strategies or plans. The lack of long-term business plans at many organisations results in systems being purchased but not used properly and this remains true within the PAO community. Significant progress could be made through the dedication of sufficient resource in planning stages, rather than post the purchase of hardware and software.

The sub-Saharan countries, largely because of the influence of foreign suppliers, consultants, and organisations, have come to believe and accept that computer systems can help organisations make more effective use of financial, managerial and socio-economic resources. Furthermore, with the cost of IT falling dramatically, and with systems becoming much easier to use and maintain, some of the prohibitive cost and infrastructural problems are being lessened. So an increasingly affordable and broadly applicable technology is available to play an essential part in the process of development.

Instead of trying to “catch up” with the industrialised world, sub- Saharan organisations should instead use ICT for selected and discriminated applications to bring substantial benefits to their economies and people. What Africa needs most is the ability to exploit existing products effectively, and this can only be achieved through education. Development is all about people, their needs and their potential, and not with the sophistication of technology.

ICT innovations are delivering home-grown solutions in Africa, transforming businesses, and driving entrepreneurship and economic growth, says a joint report published by the World Bank and African Development Bank, with support from the African Union.

The report, Transform Africa: The Transformational Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Africa, provides new data on the technological revolution that is taking place in Africa and its transformational impact on the continent’s development. At the start of 2012, there were some 650 million mobile subscriptions, making the African mobile telephony market bigger than either the EU or the United States. Some 68,000 km of submarine cable and over 615,000 km of national backbone networks have been laid, greatly increasing connectivity across Africa. The Internet bandwidth available to Africa’s one billion citizens has grown 20-fold since 2008.

“The Internet and mobile phones are transforming the development landscape in Africa, injecting new dynamism in key sectors,” said Jamal Sather, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development in the Africa Region. “The challenge is to scale up these innovations and success stories for greater social and economic impacts across Africa over the next decade.”

FUTURE OF PAOS THROUGH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYThe accountancy profession has always helped to shape and support businesses, other organisations and economies of all types and sizes. To continue to add value, professional accountants – and those who educate and employ them – must be able to meet current needs and anticipate emerging demands.

The spread of digital technologies and their impact on business will transform the practice of accounting and the competencies that professional accountants require. Smart software and systems will replace manual work (such as bookkeeping), automate complex and multifaceted processes (such as financial close), and support the trends towards outsourcing some services and repatriating others.

Knowledge of new models for business, funding, payments and services such as wider block chain-based applications including distributed ledger will be vital for all professional accountants. Expert use of analytics will enable more; better and closer to real-time reporting, increase predictive analysis and highlight the interconnectedness of financial and non-financial performance. Greater use of video and social media will improve collaboration, disclosure, presentation and stakeholder engagement

As businesses evolve so will the expectations of professional accountants. They will need the competencies, skills and outlook to enable them to meet more requests for comprehensive and forward-looking information and more frequent ad hoc reporting from ever more stakeholders.

Therefore, PAOs should position themselves to lead this trend, and harness IT efficiency and effectiveness in delivering future professional accountants that uphold public interest. This provides the need for a clear ICT guide for the Africa Region PAOs.

Strong ICT systems and a clear development roadmap will support the goals of growing PAOs by:

• Enabling the repeatable, scalable and cost effective delivery of new products and services.

• Allowing PAOs to extend their reach and influence by making intellectual property and services available digitally.

• Ensuring the better management of core financial, HR and governance processes.

• Enhance the delivery to professional accountants who uphold public interest.


10

This guide describes a conceptual reference architecture for a PAO. This includes the full range of activities that a mature PAO may undertake – and is intended as a model only. The following section goes on to introduce this reference architecture to allow users of the guide to familiarise themselves with this architecture before they commence an assessment of their own circumstances and their ICT vision.

The reference architecture is expressed in terms of:

• Business capabilities, processes and activities (See Business Capabilities, p12)

• Logical applications needed to support key business activities. These are described as logical solution components and functions. Groups of related components are labelled as platforms and components are broken down into functions. For example: the Business Intelligence component performs the Analytics function and is part of the Information Platform. (See Logical Application Model, p14)

• The information (data) requirements in order to support those activities (See Logical Application Model, p14)

• The underlying technology requirements (See Technology Requirements, p24).

This has been developed using a structured process of documenting business capabilities and functions and then translating these into conceptual business processes and logical application components, which all possess information (data) and technology requirements.

The benefit of this approach is that it allows the functions of PAOs to be described as high level building blocks composed of processes, applications, information and technology and the relationships between them.

For example, a building block could be “Exam Booking” or “Member Self-Service.” These can then be assessed for current and target maturity to support the development of an ICT strategy and roadmap. This holistic approach to identifying ICT requirements allows a PAO to progress separate work packages in the confidence that they will fit into their overarching strategy and objectives whilst developing a consistent set of systems as they grow and mature as an institute.

There are common building blocks within the reference architecture which are critical across all business capabilities:

• Digital Customer Engagement

• Customer Relationship Management

• Core Enterprise Resource Planning (known as ERP and covering Order to Cash, Procure to Pay, Financial Management and Products and Pricing).

Section 7 (“How to use the Guide”) describes how to use these components to build the roadmap in a structured fashion. It is recommended that the PAO fully familiarises itself with the reference architecture before undertaking that exercise.

4. Reference Architecture


11

4.1. BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE4.1.1. Reference Business Capability Model for PAOsA business capability defines a PAO’s capacity to successfully perform a unique business activity. A business capability is a representation of WHAT a PAO “does”, independent of the PAO’s structure, processes, people or domains. It is “what we do” and not “how we do it”.

Business capabilities represent services that a group of processes and people perform; these are supported by the relevant applications, information and underlying technology. The capability represents the what, whereas the process and people represent the how and who.

Business capabilities are the building blocks of a business. They represent stable business functions that are unique and independent from each other, abstracted from the organisational model. A business capability map can be used to model business capabilities, processes and functions and associate with IT solutions.

The following business capability model is a representation of a PAO’s desired business capabilities. It is high level and generic, as each PAO may have its own specialities; this model is intended as a conceptual enterprise reference only. The colour key is to enable the easy identification of the capabilities.

Qualifications Management

Figure 1: Reference Business Capability Model for Professional Accountancy Organisation – ACCA Pre-existing work

Strategy, Governance, Regulation & Legal

Management

Products & Services Development,

Qualifications Planning & Profession Development

Management

Brand, Sales & Marketing

Management

Relationship Engagement &

Operational Services Management

Information & Knowledge

ManagementIT Management

Financial & Asset Management

Human Resources Management

Education Management

Exams Management

Experience Management


12

Manage Qualifications

Manage Experience

Manage Relationship Engagement & Operational Services

Manage Relationships

4.1.2. Reference Business Process Model for PAOsThe common business processes and activities which a PAO would be expected to engage in are described below in the context of the business capability map. A business process is a set of activities and tasks that, once completed, will accomplish an organisational goal. This model is also high level and non-exhaustive. Each PAO may have its own particular business processes; this model is intended as an enterprise reference only. The colour key is further used to enable the easy identification of the linkage between a business capability and the business process that it realises, and any dependencies across different business capabilities.

Figure 2: Reference Business Process Model for Professional Accountancy Organisations

Manage Strategy, Governance, Regulation & Legal

Manage Products & Services, Profession Development & Qualifications Planning

Manage Brand, Sales & Marketing

Manage Strategy & Vision & Business Change

Manage Internal Audit & External Governance

Manage Regulations & Legal

Manage Accreditations & Certificates

Manage Products & Services Development

Manage Profession Development & Advocacy

Manage Qualifications Planning

Manage Brand

Manage Sales

Manage Marketing

Manage Public Relations

Manage Operational Services

Manage Employability

Manage Customers (Students/Members)

Manage Partners & Externals

Manage Membership Conversion &

Transfer

Manage Honorary Members

Manage Continuous Professional

Development

Manage Personal Experience Recording

Manage Exams

Deliver Results

Manage Certification & Recognition

Manage Education

Manage Learning Support

Manage Marking & Moderation

Manage Centres

Book & Enter & Pay for Exam

Deliver Exam

Produce Exam

Schedule Exam

Manage Enterprise Information

Develop information and content management strategies

Manage Information Resources

Manage Business Intelligence

Manage IT & Transformation

Manage Enterprise Architecture

Manage IT Transformation

Manage IT Delivery

Manage IT Ops

Manage IT&T Governance & Change Release Management

Manage Human Resources

Manage Recruitment

Manage Employee Information

Manage Performance

Manage Rewards & Compensation

Manage Payroll

Manage Learning

Manage Financial Resources

Manage Assets

Manage Procurement

Manage Facilities

Perform Financial and Mgt Accounting

Manage Accounts Receivables

Manage Taxes

Manage Budget & Income

Manage General Ledger

Manage Expenses & Controls

Manage Accounts Payable

Manage Registration


13

DIGITAL CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

4.2. LOGICAL APPLICATION MODELThe logical application model describes the applications needed to support key business activities. These are described as logical solution components and functions. Groups of related components are labelled as platforms and components are broken down into functions.

For example: the Business Intelligence component performs the Analytics function and is part of the Information Platform. Each business capability will use specific functions to achieve its goals. Generally, other than the “Common Conceptual Components”, each function will support one business capability. It should then be clear to a PAO looking to develop specific capabilities which functions they need to develop or procure.

HOW A PAO REALISES EACH OF THE COMPONENTS, FUNCTIONS AND PLATFORMS IN THE MODEL WILL BE DIFFERENT. THERE IS NO SINGLE SUPPLIER OR SOLUTION THAT WILL SATISFY ALL REQUIREMENTS AND PAO’S WILL INEVITABLY ACQUIRE OR BUILD A RANGE OF SOLUTIONS.

4.2.1. Common Conceptual Components There are common components in the reference architecture, as outlined in the diagram below and table in Appendix 1.

These are defined as:

• Digital Customer Engagement

• Customer Relationship Management

• Core Enterprise Resource Planning (known as ERP and covering Order to Cash, Procure to Pay, Financial Management and Products and Pricing)

• Information Platform.

Almost all business capabilities will require a level of investment in one or more of these platforms. For instance “Manage Qualifications” may require a website to make exam booking available, ERP to process the payments for that exam and Business Intelligence to enable reporting on exam uptake. It is important that to simplify ICT complexity, deliver value and maximise time to market, that PAOs look to re-use these capabilities wherever possible. However PAOs should be aware that not all common components are essential for all business capabilities. For example, some of the components in the Information Platform may only be realised in a mature PAO.

Figure 3: Common Conceptual Components

Please refer to Appendix 1 – Table 1: Common Conceptual Components

Web Content ManagementAuthoring & Publishing

Dynamic Content

Digital Assets

PAO Website PAO Portal and Mobile Apps

Omni-Channel Customer Service

INFORMATION PLATFORMIntegration

Data Quality Master Data Mgt. Business Intelligence Enterprise Content

CUSTOMER LIFECYCLECustomers Partners Customer Services

OR

CORE CAPABILITIESCore ERP

Corporate AssuranceInformation Security Assurance

IT ManagementIT Service Management

Procure 2 PayOrder 2 Cash ORProductsProduct Information

Pricing Financial Management


14

4.2.2. Strategy, Governance, Regulation & Legal Management These capabilities are the core of an enterprise’s capability to ensure that it manages its own strategic vision and business change processes. A PAO must meet both its internal and external regulatory requirements. Its operations must comply with its unique regulatory and legal framework, whilst ensuring its own members, students and employees adhere to its standards and practices. A PAO must govern its enterprise in order to ensure compliance with its standards and policies and ensure it meets its legal obligations and is legally viable.

Figure 4: Strategy, Governance, Regulation & Legal Management

Please refer to Table 2: Strategy, Governance, Regulation & Legal Management

STRATEGY, GOVERNANCE, REGULATION & LEGAL MANAGEMENT

Manage Strategy, Governance, Regulation & Legal

Manage Strategy, Vision & Business Change Manage Internal Audit & External Governance Manage Accreditations & CertificatesManage Regulations & Legal


Web Content Mgt.Authoring & Publishing

Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms

Knowledge Base Solution

Manage Customer email & SMS contact solution

User Profiles & Preferences

Community, Blogs, Forums

MarketingTargeting & Segmentation

Email & Online Campaigns

Lead Generation

AdvertisingSocial & Mobile

Paid Search

Ad Tracking

Analytics for DigitalEmail

Web & Search

Campaigns

Web Chat & Co-Browsing

Survey Management Solution

Customer Incident Mgt Solution

Internationalism & Multi-language

Digital Fulfilment

PAO Online StoreProduct Browse & Search

Promotions & Discounts

Pricing

Order Creation & Amendments

Basket

Online Payments

INTEGRATED LEARNING SUPPORT PLATFORMLearning Portal

Learning Pathways

Learning Offering Catalogue

Personalised Learning Profile

Activites

(iCoach)ing

Achievement & Progress Tracking

Learner EnvironmentLearning Management Systems MOOCs

Gaming, Simulation & Social Learning Apps

Learning Diagnostics, Data and InterventionAnalytics & Diagnostics

Learning Interactions

Guided Learning Support

Market Learning Profile

Learner Record

Badging Tools

Learning Content and ToolsAuthoring

Collaboration

Course & Ancillary Content

E-Textbooks

Publishing

Speciality Course Tools

QUALIFICATIONQualification PlanningQualification Product

Developer

Qualification Planning

Qualification Performance

Qualification Delivery

Qualification Release

Qualification Launch

Qualification Design & Development

Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles

Business Rules & Configuration

Publishing

Branding

ExamsExams Production

Exams Delivery

Exams Results

Professional Development

CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling

Exams Moderation & Marking

Post-Exams Activities

Exams Analytics

PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution

Sales Force Automation

Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies

Call Centre Mgt & Customer Relationship MaintenanceLearning Providers

Learning Content Providers

Accreditations

External Resources Mgt

Regulatory GovernancePractice Certificates

Practice Regulations

Governance Case Mgt

CustomersRegistration

Students

Members

Associates

Exemptions

Employability


Product Design

Product Catalogue (inc. Bundles)

Pricing

Fixed Assets

Budgets & Allocations

Accounts & Ledgers

Product InformationTax

Statutory Reporting

Human ResourcesTalent & Recruitment

Learning & Performance

Payroll

Employees

Discipline

BenefitsFinancial Mgt

Customer Invoicing & Collections (inc. Cash)

Customer Credit

Customer Order Disputes

Order 2 CashSupplier Procurement Catalogue

Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay

Business ChangeStrategy & Planning Performance Monitoring

Corporate AssuranceInternal Audit Risk Legal Information Security Assurance

IT ManagementEnterprise Architecture Project Mgt Office IT Delivery IT Service Mgt



Data ServicesPartner Data

ServicesCustomer Data

Services

Big DataExternal Data Collection Data Mining

Advanced Analytics Data Lake

Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Extract Transform Load (ETL) Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Business Rules Process Orchestration

Validation

Cleansing

Reporting

Authoring & Enrichment

Harmonisation

Golden Records & Master Data Store

Operational Reporting & Mgt Info

Analytics (inc. Segmentation)

Enterprise Data Store

Corporate Search

Documents & Workflow

Semi-structured & Unstructured Data

Collaboration

Records Policy Compliance


15

4.2.3. Products&ServicesDevelopment,QualificationPlanningandProfessionDevelopmentManagementA PAO’s offering, in terms of its products, services and qualification range should be in support of its Strategy. These sub capabilities enable the “realisation” of the PAO’s business strategy by planning its offering as part of a standard product lifecycle development. A PAO should also consider the development of the accountancy profession as part of their planning process.

Figure 5: Products & Services Development, Qualification Planning and Profession Development Management

Please refer to Table 3: Products & Services Development, Qualification Planning and Profession Development Management

PRODUCTS & SERVICES DEVELOPMENT, QUALIFICATIONS PLANNING AND PROFESSION DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

Manage Products & Services, Profession Development and Qualifications Planning

Manage Products & Services Development Manage Profession Development & Advocacy Manage Qualifications Planning



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics

PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt


Students

Members

Associates

Exemptions

Employability


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting



Payroll

Employees

Discipline



Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay








Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



16

4.2.4. Brand, Sales and Marketing ManagementBrand, Sales and Marketing Management capabilities are required by a PAO in order to support its Products, Services, Qualification and Profession in the market place. Brand Management is the capability of planning how a brand is perceived in the market place in order to attract and retain customers. Sales Management is the management of commercial operations from Opportunities to Sales. Marketing management is the capability of analysing the industry context in which the PAO operates and managing its marketing resources and activities accordingly.

Figure 6: Brand, Sales and Marketing Management

Please refer to Table 1: Brand, Sales and Marketing Management

BRAND, SALES AND MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Manage Brand, Sales and Marketing Mangement

Manage Brand Manage Sales Manage Public RelationsManage Marketing



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing


PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt


Students

Members

Associates

Exemptions

Employability


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting



Payroll

Employees

Discipline



Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay








Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics


17

RELATIONSHIP ENGAGEMENT AND OPERATIONAL SERVICES MANAGEMENT

Manage Relationship Engagement and Operational Services

4.2.5. Relationship Engagement and Operational Services ManagementThese capabilities are the core of an enterprise’s capability to successfully manage its on-going relationship with customer (of all types), partners (of all types), promote employability of its members and manage its customer services business function.

Figure 7: Relationship & Engagement and Operational Services Management

Please refer to Table 5: Relationship & Engagement & Operational Services Management

Manage EmployabilityManage Operational Services



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing


PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt


Students

Members

Associates

Exemptions

Employability


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting

Financial Mgt


Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay

Corporate AssuranceInformation Security Assurance

IT ManagementIT Service Management





Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics

Manage Relationships

Manage Customers (Students/Members) Manage Partners & Externals

Insight Mgt


18

4.2.6. QualificationsManagementQualification Management is a consolidated capability which is used to describe sub-capabilities of Education, Exams and Experience Management. These sub capabilities are at the core of a PAO’s business and allow for PAOs to add their own specific offering such as their own Qualifications, Learning and Exams and Experience. There are common logical components which underpin the Qualification Management business capability such as Digital Customer Engagement, Customer Lifecycle and ERP processes (such as Order-to-cash, Procure-to-Pay and Financial Management).

Figure 8: Qualifications Management

Please refer to Table 6: Qualifications Management

QUALIFICATIONS MANAGEMENT

Manage Qualifications



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing


PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt

Customers

Students

Members

Associates

Exemptions

Employability


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting



Payroll

Employees

Discipline



Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay








Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics

Manage Experience

Manage Membership Conversion & Transfer

Manage Honorary Members

Manage CPD Manage PER

Manage ExamsDeliver Results

Manage Certification & Recognition

Manage Education

Manage Learning Support

Manage Marking & Moderation

Manage Centres

Book & Enter & Pay for Exam

Deliver Exam

Produce Exam

Schedule Exam

Insight Mgt

Manage Registration

Registration


19

4.2.7. Information & Knowledge ManagementInformation & Knowledge Management are the capabilities that allow a PAO to manage its Enterprise Information.

Figure 9: Information & Knowledge Management

Please refer to Table 7: Information & Knowledge Management

INFORMATION & KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Manage Enterprise Information

Develop information and content management strategies Manage Information Resources Manage Business Intelligence



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing


PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt


Students

Members


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting



Payroll

Employees

Discipline



Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay








Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics

Associates

Exemptions

Employability

Insight Mgt


20

4.2.8. IT ManagementInformation Technology Management is a consolidated capability which is used to describe sub-capabilities of enterprise architecture, IT delivery, IT operations, IT Governance and change and release management. These capabilities are the core of an enterprise’s capability to ensure that it manages all its IT related resources.

Figure 10: IT & Transformation Management

Please refer to Table 8: IT & Transformation Management

IT & TRANSFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Manage IT & Transformation

Manage Enterprise Architecture Manage IT Transformation Manage IT OpsManage IT Delivery



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing


PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt


Students

Members


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting



Payroll

Employees

Discipline



Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay








Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics

Associates

Exemptions

Employability

Insight Mgt

Manage IT&T Governance & Change Release Mgt


21

4.2.9. Financial & Asset Management Financial & Asset Management is a consolidated capability which is used to describe sub-capabilities of asset management, procurement, facilities management, expenses, financial management, budgets, income and tax management These capabilities are the core of an enterprise’s capability to ensure that it manages all its financial and related resources.

Figure 11: Financial & Asset Management

Please refer to Table 9: Financial & Asset Management

FINANCIAL & ASSET MANAGEMENT

Manage Financial Resources



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing


PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt


Students

Members


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting



Payroll

Employees

Discipline



Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay








Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics

Manage Assets

Manage Procurement

Manage Facilities

Associates

Exemptions

Employability

Insight Mgt

Perform Financial and Mgt Accounting

Manage Accounts Payable

Manage General Ledger

Manage Taxes

Manage Accounts Receivables

Manage Budget & Income

Manage Expenses & Controls


22

4.2.10. Human Resource ManagementHuman Resource Management is a consolidated capability which is used to describe sub-capabilities of recruitment, employee information management, rewards and compensation, payroll, performance, learning and internal communications. These capabilities are the core of an enterprise’s capability to ensure that it manages all its available human resources.

Figure 12: Human Resources

Please refer to Table 10: Human Resources

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Manage Human Resources

Manage Recruitment Manage Employee Information Manage Rewards & CompensationManage Performance



Dynamic Content

Digital Assets



CUSTOMER LIFECYCLE

Brand Management

Contact Us

eForms







Lead Generation


Paid Search

Ad Tracking


Web & Search

Campaigns





Digital Fulfilment



Pricing


Basket

Online Payments


Learning Pathways



Activites

(iCoach)ing








Learner Record

Badging Tools


Collaboration


E-Textbooks

Publishing


PartnersSchools

Colleges

Universities

Customer Services

Campaign Execution


Firms

Employers

Professional Bodies



Accreditations




Governance Case Mgt


Students

Members


Product Design


Pricing

Fixed Assets


Accounts & Ledgers


Statutory Reporting



Payroll

Employees

Discipline



Customer Credit



Purchasing

Supplier Payments

Procure 2 Pay








Services




Validation

Cleansing

Reporting


Harmonisation





Corporate Search



Collaboration



Developer







Content Mgt.

Digital Asset Mgt.

Bundles


Publishing

Branding


Exams Delivery

Exams Results


CPD Management

PER Management

Exams Scheduling



Exams Analytics

Associates

Exemptions

Employability

Insight Mgt

Manage Payroll Manage Learning


23

In addition to the functional requirements of its systems, the PAO must also consider the technology and how a system is expected to perform. The latter can be considered to be technology requirements (sometimes referred to as Non Functional Requirements). ICT planning should include an assessment of how a system should perform. This will be determined by the specific use cases for the system. For example, an external customer portal may need to be available at all times, whereas a strategy planning tool is just required during standard working hours at certain times of the year. It is important to be clear on the usage in each case so as not to pay for more than is required. The strategy tool does not require a 24/7 support agreement or high levels of resilience. In each case the PAO should determine how to deliver the overall best value. Technology requirements are described below:

Usability refers to the ease of operation of an ICT system. A high degree of usability will enable the end user to perform a task with a high degree of success without