2021 National Conference

Managing Assumptions

Understand the need for everyone to realise the importance of managing your assumptions and how targets can drive behaviour

 - Consider the importance of assumptions in your models
 - Ensure understanding of the impact of variances through the day and between people
 - Build your stakeholder engagement

Operating and 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
 - Interactive module including Excel Spreadsheet operating model exercise

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

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

Intro to the Planning Cycle

Learn the role planning plays in implementing your strategic objectives.  Understand the importance of your role and how you can help others.
 - Understand how the strategic objective is implemented into a forecasting, scheduling and real-time plan.
 - Learn about the importance of effective data checkpoints, change governance and hand-overs 
 - Play apart in driving continuous improvement and become the nerve-centre of the business

Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Mathematics

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

Driving Strategy through Forecasting

This course is part of the 'strategic analyst' series of webinars, designed to help everyone in analytical roles become a more active contributor to their organisation’s strategic narrative.

In this webinar we will explore:

-    What is strategy 

-    Benefits of working at the strategic level 

-    Making sense of your organisational strategy

-    Forecasting with you strategy in mind

-    Influencing strategy through forecasting

1-Day Telling A Story With Numbers Workshop

This one-day training workshop is the opportunity for you to discuss the benefits and implications of different approaches and learn about the critical factors to consider. Use this course to help you determine what approach to develop in your own operation.

• Be able to display complex data in a simple way
• Have techniques for emotional engagement
• Have a clear engagement strategy

Measures of Success for Forecasting

The setting of an arbitrary blanket target of say +/-5% forecast accuracy highlights that an organisation does not truly understand the nature of forecasting. Explore the key responsibilities of forecasting and how to take a holistic view when setting measures of success. Learning outcomes include:

- What does good look like? Explore the key characteristics of an ideal forecast and key considerations to develop understanding and learning.
- Define your purpose. Understand how forecasting can support your business strategy and impact it can have on customers and colleagues.
- Creating the right measures. Understand different perspectives and develop a holistic framework of success measures.

Telling Stories with numbers

In this webinar we explore techniques for presenting and communicating data to support turning insight into action.  These include:

- The Pyramid Principle
- Emotional Engagement
- The Pattern of Great Presentations

Introduction to Forecasting (including Best in Class)

This module provides an introductory understanding of:

 - the fundamental inputs and outputs of the forecasting processes.
 - the role of forecasting within the planning cycle 
 - the characteristics of best in class forecasting teams as evidenced throgh The Forum's standards-benchmarking programme

Understanding the Flexibility Toolkit

One 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

Operating models, routing strategic and skill design

How Multi-skilling routing works & load balancing between sites or teams plus more

- IVR Vs Routing

- Operating Models

- Breaking Erlang

- Purposes of multiskilling

- Balancing conflicting view points

- New potential planning logics

Managing Assumptions

Understand the need for everyone to realise the importance of managing your assumptions and how targets can drive behaviour

- Consider the importance of assumptions in your models

- Ensure understanding of the impact of variances through the day and between people

- Build your stakeholder engagement

Advanced Volatility & Flexibility 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

Measures of Success for Scheduling

Scheduling is much more than creating shifts and therefore the success criteria for shift design is much more than schedule fit.  This module will explore the key responsibilities of a scheduler and how a holistic view is required to set measures of success.  Learning outcomes include:

- What does good look like?  Understand the importance of scheduling and the key responsibilities, including key characteristics of good and bad schedules.

- Define your purpose.  Understand how schedules support your business strategy and its importance to customer and employee satisfaction

- Schedule fit & other measures.  Introduction to different ways of measuring scheduling fit and how these can be incorporated into a more holistic framework of success measures.

Introduction to Scheduling

This module provides an introductory understanding of:

- The fundamental inputs and outputs of the scheduling processes.

- The role of scheduling within the planning cycle 

- The characteristics of best in class scheduling teams as evidenced through The Forum's standards-benchmarking programme

How to drive engagement through shift review

Shift reviews deliver many benefits to many areas of the business

- Performance - Improved customer experience

- Attrition, Absence - Reduced stress of busy peaks and boredom of quiet times

- Employee Engagement - Flexibility to meet lifestyles of your teams

Understand the key principles which will drive engagement across your organisation, face the fear of shift patterns and bring a united, collaborative approach to making change possible

Shrinkage: Tracking, Managing and Optimising

This was held on 9th November: Deeper dive into shrinkage, historical tracking, forecasting and incorporating in long and short term planning.

Understand the importance of tracking and manging your shrinkages so they are optimised for your staff. Learning outcomes include:

- What is included in shrinkage?

- The importance of standardised tracking

- How do you categorise to monitor and report?

- Which numbers should you use for planning?

- Why you should spend as much time forecasting Shrinkage as work volumes.

Measures of Success Real Time

Understand how to create the right measures to track and develop your real time effectiveness. Learn how to create the right process, aligned to your strategy and how to take a holistic view when setting measures of success. Learning outcomes include:

- What does good look like? Explore the key characteristics of an ideal real time function and key considerations to develop understanding and learning.

- Define your purpose. Understand how real-time planning can support your business strategy and impact it can have on customers and colleagues.

- Creating the right measures. Understand different perspectives and develop a holistic framework of success measures.

Introduction to Real Time

This module provides an introductory understanding of:

- The fundamental inputs and outputs of Real-Time processes.

- The role of Real-Time Planning within the planning cycle 

- The characteristics of best in class Real-Time teams as evidenced through The Forum's standards-benchmarking programme

Volatility vs Flexibility in Real Time

Develop a deeper understanding of your supply and demand intra-day profiles to understand how much flexibility you have and need.

- Understand how to measure the variability of intraday profiles

- Learn how to create triggers for action to flex your staff

- Improve your operational readiness to become more effective

Using RAG models to take action

Understanding how to create effective thresholds to really drive improvement through easy to understanding Red, Amber and Green status.  This module will explore classic mistakes and top tips to improve how you communicate numbers:

- The purpose of Red, Amber and Green status

- Mistakes to avoid

- Top tips, new techniques and tried and tested examples

Measures of Success: Balanced Scorecards

Understand how to create the right measures to track and develop your real time effectiveness. Learn how to create the right process, aligned to your strategy and how to take a holistic view when setting measures of success. Learning outcomes include:

- What does good look like? Explore the key characteristics of an ideal real time function and key considerations to develop understanding and learning.

- Define your purpose. Understand how real-time planning can support your business strategy and impact it can have on customers and colleagues.

- Creating the right measures. Understand different perspectives and develop a holistic framework of success measures.

1-Day Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

Learn how to create your own stakeholder map and communication plan, teaching you basic influencing skills to help you succeed. After this course, you will;

• Understand how to identify stakeholders and use a mapping tool
• Create a communication plan and engagement strategies for stakeholders
• Be able to deploy simple influencing skills at work

Free Webinar - 2020 Vision: Crystallising your knowledge Launch

2020 is The Forum’s 20th year and this year we want to look back on our first 20-years and think ahead for the next 20-years. Our vision, back in 2000, was and remains to raise standards in customer operations helping to set standards across Planning, Insight and Quality. Now, having established communities of best practice we can continue to raise standards and prepare for the future.

This year’s theme refers to the clarity and sharpness of vision required to purposely move forward towards your targets, goals and dreams. Whilst recognising the benefit of our fluid thinking over the past 20-years to crystallise our knowledge of best practice and standards.

 - “Purpose, Learning and Self-Awareness” Keynote from The Forum’s Phil Anderson
 - 2020 Best Practice Guide launch and chapter review
 - 2020 Best Practice Programme – how to get involved

Best Practice in Planning Assisted Learning Pathway

Learn how to apply the whole planning cycle, from capacity to scheduling & real-time, with the chance to explore further your role and where it fits in.

After this course, you will;

 - See how each planning stage impacts others
 - Explore the importance of handoffs and the data journey
 - Understand the importance of shrinkage and forecasting in maintaining an effective plan

Capacity Planning, Forecasting & Budgets Assisted Learning Pathway

This course gives you knowledge to support you in your role and overcome the obstacles you face, to help you create a culture of data-driven decision making.

After this course, you will understand;

 - The key numbers in a capacity plan & how to explain them
 - How plans & forecasts flows from strategy & budgets through the entire planning cycle
 - Managing data to ensure a single version of the truth

Scheduling & Wellness: Managing Flexibility Assisted Learning Pathway

Learn about lifestyle and wellness options that help balance people with business needs and explore the volatility of your operations’ workload.

After this course, you will understand;

 - How to analyse your flexibility requirements and opportunities
 - What options are available to improve your coverage while supporting wellness & lifestyle
 - How to develop a flexibility strategy that is a corporate asset

Real-time Effectiveness & Tactical Planning Assisted Learning Pathway

Learn how to determine the optimal approach and build an operational playbook, in order to improve your Real-Time function and tactical planning framework.

After this course, you will understand;

 - The role of Real-Time and how to add most value as analysts
 - The predictability/impact of events. How to set effective triggers and actions
 - How to analyse your flexibility demands and manage shrinkage