|
Join GRAPA |
| | |
|
Message From the President |
|
 Revenue Assurance, the Birth of a
Profession
2007 was an
exciting year for many of us. For myself and the
rest of the GRAPA management team it was a year of
ups and downs, a few failures and false starts, but
overall an incredibly successful year. I know that I
for one will never forget this, the year of the
launching of the Global Revenue Assurance
Professionals Association.
In the
process of starting this organization, I was
privileged to get to know many of the people who are
involved in the shaping of this industry. As
pioneers in revenue assurance, GRAPA members will be
empowered to make effective business decisions and
enhance their careers through learning and mutual
support shared among peers.
Since its
inception in March 2007, response to the GRAPA
mission has been phenomenal. GRAPA experienced
tremendous membership growth while penetrating
carrier, hardware, software, and consulting
industries, and creating a greater impact on the
revenue assurance industry than we ever thought
possible. The recent explosion of interest in our
organization serves as an early indicator to the
successful establishment of revenue assurance as a
viable, recognizable, and valuable role within
telecommunications.
To
facilitate the rapid growth of a new, healthy, and
strong profession, GRAPA provides the seeds of
standardization through consensus of the membership.
Our vision is for each member to participate in
nurturing this growth. We believe this will
ultimately lead to the same recognition and respect
for revenue assurance professionals as afforded to
auditors or engineers.
In order to
be recognized and respected as professionals, we are
going to have to earn it. How is this accomplished?
I believe there are several key elements:
Principles and Ethics: No worthwhile profession
can exist without a code of ethics and a set of
principles to which all members adhere. In a very
real sense, it is the principles and ethics that
define a profession. Revenue assurance is no
exception.
Disciplines and Methods: Revenue assurance
professionals also need an effective set of
disciplines and methodologies to aid in meeting
objectives. Our principles define HOW we do our
jobs, while our methods define WHAT we do.
Industry
Standards: Industry standards are the means by
which a profession embodies, shares, and
communicates its principles and methods to its
membership. GRAPA industry standards development is
the core “product” that GRAPA offers to its members,
to carrier employers, and to the revenue assurance
industry in general.
Education and Training: Finally, no set of
principles, methodologies or standards can be
effective if professionals do not make a commitment
to education and training. GRAPA offers ongoing
accessible training to ensure that all professionals
have a common understanding of the developing
industry standards and practices.
This year,
we will take the emerging concept of the revenue
assurance professional and work to make it a clear,
definable reality. The GRAPA principles,
methodologies, standards, and commitment to
education will determine our success.
In 2008 we
hope you will join the Members of GRAPA who are
working hard to help turn these goals into
realities.
Best wishes
in the New Year,
Rob Mattison, President GRAPA, Inc. |
|
GRAPA News |
|
 Goals
and Accomplishments
2007 GRAPA Accomplishments
2007 was a banner year for GRAPA. The current GRAPA
Membership is over 800 strong, growing steadily since
our launch in Mid 2007. Our Membership includes
primarily Carrier Members, but also Software, Hardware,
and Consulting Industry Members.
During this time, we created a broad
range of discussion Forums including a Spanish Language,
French Language, and Best Practices Forum; we ran our
first official industry Benchmark, and we began the
process of activating regional membership committees for
Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia, Eastern
Europe, and the Indian Subcontinent.
In October, GRAPA approved a new
funding model and conducted its first Benchmark, the
“General Revenue Assurance Practices” survey with over
50 participants.
November marked the adoption of the
Revenue Assurance Academy as the official training group
for GRAPA and we launched our first GRAPA training
seminars in Chicago, Illinois (United States) and Kuala
Lumpur (Malaysia).
2008 GRAPA Goals
With our initial “growing pains” behind us, we have set
some pretty aggressive targets for GRAPA in 2008. Our
objectives for the coming year include:
-
Increasing our overall membership
to over 2000 members by December of 2008. This
should drive the number of carriers involved in
GRAPA certification and benchmarking activity to
over 600, providing us with a truly meaningful
foundation for industry consensus-building with a
support base larger than any other association or
standards body in the world.
-
Formation of our formal
“Standards Committee” under Mohammad Azam from UFONE
in Pakistan
-
Early this year, we hope to
publish our first Body of Standards and initiate a
formal committee review and approval process for
adoption of those standards as a reality for our
members around the world
-
We will also be aggressively
promoting and offering GRAPA training via the
Revenue Assurance Academy, bringing quality GRAPA
Standards-based training to every region of the
world
-
GRAPA will also formalize and
expand the Public Relations / Speaker Committee to
help “get the word out” at conferences, seminars and
other industry events
We are looking forward to a busy and
successful year. Please feel free to contact us to
discuss your issues, concerns or contributions to the
effort. |
|
Revenue Assurance Academy |
|
 Classes
are Now in Session
Since its inception, the Revenue Assurance
Academy (RAA) has been dedicated to providing
comprehensive, relevant information and training on
revenue assurances practices to carriers and
consultants around the world. In 2007, RAA became
the official training group of GRAPA and conducted
its first GRAPA training classes in Chicago,
Illinois (United States) and Kuala Lumpur
(Malaysia). Participation and student responses were
excellent.
“… [T]he Revenue Assurance Managers Workshop was
very effective and important to me even though I
have been in the Revenue Assurance business for
almost ten years.” −Armando Gaona de Stefani
(Coordinator of the Nat’l Center of RA & Traffic
Recovery, TELEMEX, Mexico)
The Revenue Assurance Academy is successful
because it provides active, participatory
workshop-style classes relevant for professionals at
all levels of the industry. Students are expected to
engage interactively to enjoy relevant revenue
assurance training for professionals in carrier,
hardware, software, and consulting industries.
“Although my background is Finance and Auditing,
I was able to understand all sections, even those
related to engineering and systems. [T]he
participants come from different companies,
backgrounds, and level of experience, which creates
healthy discussions.” −Frederic Zuniga (Director of
Financial Operations and Risk Management, Americatel
Corp, USA)
All classes are taught by industry expert Rob
Mattison, President of GRAPA. Rob’s 20+ years of
relevant industry experience, combined with his
active, holistic teaching style provide students
with real-life examples and a broad, meaningful
understanding of revenue assurance.
“I personally was impressed with the
professionalism and level of experience that Mr. Rob
Mattison shows as he gave real life examples on the
application of RA practices.” −Chris Chiang (Revenue
Assurance Systems | Business Support Systems,
Malaysia)
The Revenue Assurance Academy is open for 2008
enrollment including classes scheduled for:
Amsterdam, Netherlands; Dubai, U.A.E.; Miami, USA;
Cape Town, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; and
Bangkok, Thailand. Visit the Revenue Assurance
Academy online to learn more about scheduled classes
and enroll at
www.ra-academy.org. |
|
GRAPA
Standards |
|
 The Need for Industry-Wide
Collaboration
GRAPA Members consistently
identify a critical need for clear industry
standards in the revenue assurance industry. Our own
Benchmark surveys conducted in 2007 demonstrate
considerable variance in the practices and
perceptions of revenue assurance around the world.
The revenue assurance industry is comprised of over
1000 carriers and service providers, serving
literally billions of customers with hundreds of
varying complex technological solutions. The scope
of this industry presents a considerable challenge
to defining a common set of industry standards.
Enter GRAPA, an organization on a mission to
provide support, collaboration, and credibility
among revenue assurance professionals. In order to
ensure relevancy and impartiality for all industry
professionals GRAPA maintains an open membership
while prohibiting company-sponsored support.
Key Objectives
GRAPA’s mission helps us clarify some key objectives
for developing revenue assurance industry standards.
1. Provide the revenue assurance industry with a
standard vocabulary for describing relevant
activities, operations, and challenges
2. Provide a clear, comprehensive and meaningful
definition of the scope, mission, and function of
revenue assurance within the telecommunications
industry
3. Create a centralized structure for managing
the needs of revenue assurance industry
professionals
4. Develop a common framework for defining
revenue assurance functions, skills, roles, and
responsibilities through industry-wide consensus
5. Define and promote a code of ethics for the
revenue assurance industry to serve professionals,
their employers, and their clients.
6. Develop a detailed inventory of identified
checklists, problem areas, and resolution strategies
for addressing any and all revenue risk exposures
common in the industry
Member-Driven Process
GRAPA’s process for developing and publishing
necessary revenue assurance industry standards is
simple, straightforward, and Member-driven. As the
process is defined, we will assure that the
membership approves each and every step in the
review and approval process.
It is GRAPA’s belief that the development of
these critical industry standards by its Members
will empower revenue assurance professionals with
the necessary tools to make effective, ethical
business decisions. For more information about the
standards committee activities, and to find out how
you can participate, contact
carola@grapatel.com. |
|
|
