2025 Best Practice Guide
Raising Standards

Learning Academy On-Demand Modules

Over 100 modules of learning form the backbone of our academy, allowing you to focus on what is most relevant and important. Join the courses as online modules for just £65pp and pace yourself, to build a development plan for the year that is bespoke to your needs. If you have interest in a specific category click on the link below any module to see more in that topic.

Understanding people (including how to say no)

Understanding people (including how to say no)

Understanding Growth / Fixed mindset:

- What happens in our heads when we hear or say "no"
- Learn to handle objections

Benchmarking

Benchmarking

Benchmarking is important in understanding best practice, comparing ourselves with our competitors and becoming the best, but there are many pitfalls to avoid. In this module;
 - Hear the value of benchmarking
 - Learn how to avoid the common mistakes
 - Hear our top tips for benchmarking

Principles of Persuasion

Principles of Persuasion

It is vital that Planning, Quality and Insight teams are able to engage with and influence their key stakeholders within their organisation. Stakeholders may need to be persuaded to change their view on something in order to become an advocate. 
 - What is Persuasion?
 - Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion
 - Key Persuasion Techniques and the Influencing Toolkit

Data Dictionaries

Data Dictionaries

Clear documentation and structure can help us remove single points of failure, avoid arguments, ensure a single version of the truth and avoid duplicated work. In this module;
 - See how to create a data dictionary to ensure a single version of the truth
 - Learn techniques to ensure metrics are used to drive the right behaviours
 - Facilitate exception based reporting with agreed triggers

Target Typology

Target Typology

How do you avoid your targets being misunderstood, misinterpreted and misused. In this module;
 - Learn the different target types
 - Understand tolerances & triggers
 - Avoid common mistakes

The Strategy Pyramid

The Strategy Pyramid

Before setting targets and goals it is important that these are aligned to strategies that support your organisational goals. In this module;
 - Understand your organisational goals
 - See how to balance your strategies
 - Learn how to align the right metrics and targets to your strategies

Introduction to Stakeholder Management

Introduction to Stakeholder Management

Without being able to work alongside key stakeholders, there is little value to being an excellent planner as your plans will not come to fruition!  You need to understand who your stakeholders are and how to communicate with them successfully.
 - Learn how to map your stakeholder network
 - See how different people benefit from different approaches and language
 - Understand how to make your outputs flexible for multiple audiences

Root Cause Analysis

Root Cause Analysis

Root cause analysis is a core skill for analysts and forecasters but is something that few of us do well.  If we want to predict or shape the future it is vital that we understand the past. In this webinar we will explore:

- Why do we need root cause analysis
- How do we ensure we are asking the right questions
- Common Mistakes
- Use of technology to support root cause analysis

Understanding the Flexibility Toolkit

Understanding the Flexibility Toolkit

Once you have determined the volatility of your volumes you can start to think of ways to manage this through scheduling. The flexibility toolkit contains 18 options that you can use in your business. Learning outcomes include:
 - What are the flexibility options and which can be combined? 
 - Pros and cons of each method and case study examples of how they’ve been implemented.
 - Understanding how different tool kit options can be used strategically and tactical

Erlang v Linear

Erlang v Linear

Understand the positives and limitations of using Erlang C to calculate your headcount. Learning outcomes include:
 - How many people do we need?
 - What is Erlang trying to do?
 - Limitations of Erlang C
 - Using Erlang in practice

Operating & Budget Plans

Operating & Budget Plans

Learn how important it is to define the operating model and then agree the key assumptions to form the budget.  See practical examples of budget and operating models and explore the importance of accurate forecasts and agreed assumptions.
 - Understand the key assumptions to start calculating FTE requirement.
 - Classic mistakes and pitfalls to avoid

Understanding & Managing Sample Bias

Understanding & Managing Sample Bias

 - How to Identify Sample Bias & ensure you reduce the likelihood of bias
 - The impact on your data and insight validity from Sample Bias and the potential impact to your business
 - Common Sample Bias issues to look out for

Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Strategies

Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Strategies

Develop your flexibility offering with deeper analysis of your supply and demand, driving a workforce strategy.
 - Understand the scale of volatility
 - Engage your stakeholders with advanced analysis
 - Use this to drive decisions and develop a workforce strategy

Intro to Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Mathematics

Intro to Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Mathematics

Understand the benefits of taking a more in-depth view into the volatility of your supply and demand, and flexibility requirements.
 - Understand the value of further analysis.
 - Learn analysis techniques to measure variance
 - Translate this into a practical output for flexibility

Forecastable Metrics

Forecastable Metrics

In many organisations forecasting is limited to volumes of contacts or work, but we can do so much more. Whether we are forecasters or analysts, applying these techniques to our other metrics can open up a wealth of opportunities for improvement.
 - Learn how using forecasting techniques can open up new opportunities in your organisation.
 - Hear how innovation awards finalists are putting this into practice.

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