Five organisations help launch new Business Accreditation Framework

BT, NHS Direct, RBS, RSA and Tesco Bank launched the new business accreditation framework, developed by the Professional Planning Forum and its members, a process that is designed to give external, independent evidence about the success of an organisation’s planning function.
The pioneer organisations attended a launch workshop to equip them with the tools and information needed to embark on the benchmarking process. A detailed and robust self-assessment process is used to review how the function works and the impact it is achieving, using a detailed framework that identifies the level of maturity evidenced in each of the key planning capabilities.  External peer assessment validates this and provides benchmark information, and a full report and roadmap for further development is produced.

“The real strength of the business accreditation process is that it not only provides a fantastic external benchmarking of an organisation’s planning function against industry-developed standards, but at the same time gives participants an invaluable learning experience from carrying out the self- and peer-assessments,” explains Steve Woosey, Chief Executive of the Planning Forum. “And that is before you even take into account the industry-wide recognition of your company’s commitment to planning best practice,” he continued.

Tracy Johnson, Operations Planning Lead Personal Sales & Service, RSA, agreed, ‘This is a great opportunity for companies to ‘stop and take stock’ of where they are as a business.  Achieving accreditation will really be recognised in the industry as well as in your own business as being real ‘expertise’ business partners…it is refreshing how passionate people are about making a difference in the business.’

Steve Grainger, Head of Partner Relations, General Insurance, TESCO Bank, confirms: “Our genuine ambition is to be the best end-to-end Operational Planning & MI function in our industry, so working with the Planning Forum and benchmarking ourselves across other organisations will help us define what good really looks like.  The accreditation process itself presents a structured approach to evaluating where we are now and identifying areas for improvements, which will then help shape our continuous improvement programme for the next 12 months…’