The Telco Revenue Assurance Handbook

by Mattison, Rob; Mattison, Chrysanthemum; Mattison, Brigitte

• ISBN13: 9781411628014
• ISBN10: 1411628012
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-05-02
• Publisher: Lightning Source Inc

Summary

A comprehensive guide to the setup, execution and management of the Revenue Assurance function within telecommunications companies.This book provides readers with information about how to use new technologies and revolutionary new approaches to help make revenue assurance faster, better, easier and more efficient than ever before possible. A must read for any serious telecommunications revenue assurance, billing audit or other financial telco manager.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Chapter 1 Preface	1	(12)
Revenue Assurance -A Significant Challenge	1	(1)
The New Revenue Assurance Imperative	2	(1)
Understanding Telco Revenue Assurance Today	2	(1)
Lack of Supporting Information	2	(1)
The Purpose of this Book	3	(10)
Who Should Read this Book	3	(1)
How is this Book Organized?	4	(1)
Section 1 Introduction	5	(1)
Section 2 Getting Started	5	(1)
Section 3 Prioritization and Rationalization	6	(1)
Section 4 Mobilizing Your RA Initiatives	7	(1)
Section 5 Revenue Assurance Operations	8	(1)
Section 6 Revenue Assurance Systems	9	(1)
Section 7 Conclusion	10	(1)
Mattison's Guide to Telco Leakage and Revenue Maximization	11	(2)
Section 1: Chapter 2 Why is Revenue Assurance Important?	13	(10)
Regulatory Pressure	13	(1)
Profit Pressure	13	(1)
Merger Pressure	14	(1)
Convergence Pressure	14	(1)
Innovation Pressure	14	(1)
Why is Revenue Assurance Necessary?	14	(1)
Explaining the Problem	15	(2)
The Breakdown of the Revenue Management Process	15	(1)
What Really Happens?	16	(1)
How Extensive is the Problem?	17	(1)
Where Leakage Occurs	17	(4)
Specific Sources of Leakage	19	(2)
Conclusion	21	(2)
Section 2: Chapter 1 Revenue Assurance Scope and the RA Icon	23	(16)
The Need for a Revenue Assurance Icon	24	(1)
The Role of the eTOM	24	(2)
eTOM Basic Model	26	(5)
eTOM Operations Model - Vertical Dimensions	27	(1)
eTOM Operations Model- Horizontal Dimensions	28	(1)
Understanding Fulfillment	29	(1)
Assurance Management	30	(1)
Billing Management	30	(1)
Building on the eTOM for a Definition of RA	31	(4)
Revenue Management Chain	32	(1)
Collateral Revenue Assurance Areas	33	(1)
What about Fraud?	34	(1)
The Scope of Revenue Assurance	35	(1)
Definition of Terms: Extended Revenue Assurance	35	(2)
Literal Definition of Revenue Assurance	36	(1)
Liberal Definition of Revenue Assurance	36	(1)
Scope of RA Defined	37	(2)
Section 2: Chapter 2 Revenue Assurance Objectives and Approaches	39	(10)
Objectives for Revenue Assurance Activities	39	(1)
Leakage Management	40	(1)
Risk Management	40	(1)
Leakage Prevention	40	(1)
Leakage Management	40	(3)
Leakage Management - Challenges	41	(1)
Hard to Do...Easy to Ignore	41	(1)
Leakage Management - Approaches	42	(1)
Risk Management	43	(3)
Risk Management - Challenges	43	(2)
The Trick - Getting Better Risk Insight for Lower Cost	45	(1)
Risk Management -Approaches	45	(1)
Leakage Prevention	46	(3)
Leakage Prevention - Challenges	46	(1)
New Product Development	46	(1)
New Rate Plan Rollout	46	(1)
New Network Infrastructure Deployment	47	(1)
Leakage Prevention - Approaches	47	(2)
Section 2: Chapter 3 Core Revenue Assurance Functions and Disciplines	49	(8)
Two Dimensions to Revenue Assurance	50	(7)
The Scope Dimension - Where Does the Data Come From'?	51	(1)
The Functional Dimension - What Do you Actually DO'?	52	(3)
Auditing	52	(1)
Monitoring	53	(1)
Baselining (Score-Carding)	54	(1)
Investigation	54	(1)
Synchronization	55	(1)
Correction	55	(1)
The Revenue Assurance Roadmap	55	(2)
Section 2: Chapter 4 Coverage Models for Revenue Assurance	57	(10)
Coverage Mapping Approach	58	(1)
Typical Coverage Map for the Revenue Management Chain	59	(1)
Coverage Mapping as a Revenue Assurance Effort	60	(1)
RA vs. Operational Integrity	61	(6)
Visions of the RA Role	62	(1)
Revenue Assurance as Auditor	63	(1)
Revenue Assurance as Fill-In Group	63	(2)
The Real Role of Revenue Assurance	65	(2)
Section 2: Chapter 5 Operationalizing Revenue Assurance	67	(14)
A Best Practices View of Revenue Assurance Functions	67	(1)
Baselining	68	(7)
Characteristics of Well Run Baseline Reports	69	(1)
Categories of Baseline Reports	70	(1)
Revenue Recognition Reports	70	(1)
Billing Activity Reports	71	(1)
Revenue Realization Reports	72	(1)
Monitoring	73	(2)
Auditing	75	(2)
Process Specific-Regular Audits	75	(1)
Event Triggered Audits	75	(1)
Random Audits	76	(1)
Audit Execution	76	(1)
Synchronization	77	(1)
Investigations	78	(1)
Prospecting	79	(1)
Corrections	80	(1)
Section 3: Chapter 1 Rationalizing Revenue Assurance Activities	81	(10)
Benefits of Formalized Prioritization Policies and Procedures	82	(1)
Leakage Repair Rationalization	82	(3)
Sizing a Leak	83	(1)
Net Revenue Lost - Past, Present and Future	83	(1)
Customer Relationship Perspective	83	(1)
Regulatory Perspective	84	(1)
Costing a Solution - Plugging the Leak	84	(1)
Leakage Identification Rationalization	85	(2)
The Probability of the Existence of a Leak and its Size	85	(1)
The Chances of Finding Leakage and the Costs	86	(1)
Risk Management and Leakage Prevention Rationalization	87	(2)
No Risk Management Position	88	(1)
Exhaustive Risk Management Position	88	(1)
Balanced Risk Management Position	88	(1)
One Major Caveat	89	(1)
Moving Forward	89	(2)
Section 3: Chapter 2 Understanding Revenue Assurance Costs	91	(12)
The Cost/Benefit Equation for RA	91	(2)
RA Benefits Evaluation	92	(1)
Revenue Assurance is About Assurance, First and Foremost	93	(2)
Expanding the Benefits Side of the Formula	93	(1)
RA Costs Evaluation	93	(2)
Understanding the Cost Side of the Formula	95	(4)
The Principle Components of RA Costs	95	(1)
Man Hour Costs	96	(1)
Duration Costs and the Expediency Penalty	97	(1)
Credibility and Consensus Costs	98	(1)
Opportunity Costs	98	(1)
Collateral Systems Impact Costs	99	(1)
Infrastructure Investments	99	(2)
Operational and Organizational Investments	100	(1)
Competency Investments	100	(1)
Flexibility Investments	101	(1)
Critical Success Factors	101	(1)
Cost Tradeoffs -Getting the Optimum Cost	102	(1)
Section 3: Chapter 3 Leakage Mapping and Noise	103	(14)
Trying to Solve Strategic Problems with Tactical Solutions	103	(1)
Symptoms of a Lack of Strategic Direction	104	(1)
Strategic Revenue Assurance Questions	104	(1)
Strategic Guideline Development	105	(1)
Key Areas and KPis	106	(1)
Evaluating Revenue Management Risk	106	(8)
Subjective Evaluation -A Valid Starting Point	107	(1)
Objective Evaluation - The Revenue Leakage Mapping Technique	107	(4)
Step 1 Identify Nutwork Activity in Minutes for a Given Month	108	(1)
Step 2 Identify the Total Revenue Realized for the Month	109	(1)
Step 3 Create an Estimate of Unrecoverable Activity	110	(1)
Sizing your Firm's Risk Exposure	111	(1)
The Importance of Declaring Noise Levels	112	(1)
Preparing the First Set of Numbers	112	(1)
What the Noise Number Represents?	113	(1)
Making Decisions with the Noise Number	113	(1)
Formalizing the Noise Number	113	(1)
Applying the Noise Concept to the Overall Revenue Assurance Process	114	(3)
Successful and Profitable Revenue Assurance Project	116	(1)
A Revenue Assurance Project that is a Total Failure	116	(1)
Section 3: Chapter 4 Prioritizing Tactical RA Requirements	117	(8)
The Six Major Disciplines and their Relationships	118	(1)
Handling Collection, Allocation and Follow-Up on RA Requests	118	(1)
Revenue Assurance Delivery Queues	119	(4)
Queuing Theory and RA Requirements	120	(1)
Major RA Development and Delivery Queues	120	(1)
Why Use Discipline/System Based Queues?	121	(2)
Establishing the Formal RA Help Desk	123	(2)
Section 3: Chapter 5 Why not Automate Revenue Assurance?	125	(4)
Breadth and Depth of the Fully Automated System	125	(1)
System Flexibility and Rate of Change Requirement	126	(1)
Systems don't Deliver RA, People do	127	(1)
The Balanced Approach	127	(2)
The Two Sides of Revenue Assurance Delivery	127	(2)
Section 4: Chapter 1 Mobilizing your Revenue Assurance Initiative	129	(6)
Wrestling with the Multiple-Objective Initiative Challenges	129	(1)
The Biggest Challenge to Any RA Initiative: Inertia	130	(2)
Inertia Remedy Technique No. 1: Facts	130	(1)
Revenue Assuranceand the Search for Real Facts	131	(1)
Inertia Remedy Technique No. 2: Bundling	131	(1)
Welcome to the Revenue Assurance Morass	132	(3)
Revenue Assurance Case Building Techniques	132	(1)
Revenue Assurance Capabilities Assessment (Chapter 4.2)	132	(1)
Opportunity Maps (Chapter 4.3)	133	(1)
Implementation Avenues (Chapter 4.4)	133	(1)
Revenue Assurance Project Challenges	133	(2)
Buying and Installing an RA System (Chapter 4.5)	133	(1)
Engaging Consultants to Assist with RA Activities (Chapter 4.6)	134	(1)
The "Classical" Revenue Assurance Project Plan (Chapter 4.7)	134	(1)
Setting up a Revenue Assurance Group (Chapter 4.8)	134	(1)
BPR, Six Sigma and Revenue Assurance (Chapter 4.9)	134	(1)
Section 4: Chapter 2 A Framework for Assessing RA Capabilities	135	(16)
Using the Assessment Framework	135	(3)
Know What you Have, to Decide What you Need	136	(1)
The Major Assessment Areas	136	(1)
Assessment Dimensions	137	(1)
Organizational Structure Review	138	(1)
Organizational Assessment Challenges	139	(1)
Operational Environment Review	139	(3)
Operational Investigation Issues	140	(1)
Operational Reporting Issues	141	(1)
Audit Issues	142	(1)
Computer Infrastructure Review	142	(1)
Staff Evaluation	143	(3)
Staff Evaluation Issues	146	(1)
RA Leakage Map	146	(1)
RA Coverage and Credibility Assessment	147	(2)
Making Use of Assessment Results	149	(2)
Section 4: Chapter 3 Opportunity Maps	151	(14)
Building your Opportunity Maps	152	(11)
Step 1: Diagram your Revenue Management Chain	152	(1)
Step 2: Assigning Revenue Flows - The Minutes Map	153	(2)
Step 3: Creating Filtered Minutes Maps	155	(2)
Step 4: Converting Minutes to Money	157	(4)
Step 5: Backward Applying Revenue	161	(2)
Step 6: Forward Applying Revenue	163	(1)
Using the Opportunity Map	163	(2)
The Opportunity Map as the Revenue Assurance Group's Roadmap	163	(1)
The Opportunity Map as an Ongoing Scorecard	164	(1)
The Opportunity Map as a Planning Tool	164	(1)
Section 4: Chapter 4 Implementation Avenues	165	(8)
Complex Problems with Complex Solutions	165	(1)
Major Avenues to Revenue Assurance Improvement	166	(1)
The I/T Based Approach to Revenue Assurance	166	(4)
Main Challenges to the I/T Based Approach	167	(1)
Common ITT' Based Approaches	168	(2)
The Business Process Re-Engineering Approach to Revenue Assurance	170	(1)
Methods of Operational Integrity Assurance	170	(1)
The Organizational Approach to Revenue Assurance	171	(2)
Section 4: Chapter 5 Buying and Installing a Revenue Assurance System	173	(16)
Specialty Systems	174	(1)
Operational System Enhancements	174	(1)
Cross-System Coordination	174	(2)
Vendors of Operational Systems and "Scope Stretch"	175	(1)
Vendors of Data-Based Solutions	175	(1)
Issues with Data-Based Solutions	176	(3)
First - If it's so Easy, Why don't Telcos Just Build Their Own?	176	(1)
Second - What is the Difference Between Vendors?	177	(2)
Implementation Strategy	177	(1)
Experience	178	(1)
Expertise	178	(1)
Assets	178	(1)
Before you Start Shopping	179	(4)
Develop a Viable Leakage Map	179	(1)
Develop an Opportunity Map	179	(1)
Perform an Organizational Assessment	180	(1)
Define Clear Goals and Objectives, in Specific Terms	180	(1)
Use the RA Icon	180	(1)
Perform ROI Analysis and Document it Before You Start	181	(1)
Know your Revenue Management Chain	181	(1)
Why So Much Preparation?	181	(2)
Prepare your Organization for the Vendor Avalanche	182	(1)
Issuing an RFP or an RFI	183	(1)
Include Operational and Organizational Requirements	183	(1)
Include Financial Deliverables	183	(1)
Evaluating Responses	184	(5)
Don't Assume that They Know More than You	184	(1)
References, Demos and Site Visits	184	(1)
There is no Such Thing as Magic	184	(1)
Build in Integrity Checks on I/T Claims & Operational Claims	184	(1)
Beware of the Data	185	(1)
Beware of the Business Rules	185	(1)
Get it in Writing	185	(1)
Get Hardware as well as Software Estimates	186	(1)
Keep their Hard Work out of your Internal Organization	186	(1)
Don't use Vendors as Teachers	186	(1)
Structuring the Contract and Delivery	187	(2)
Section 4: Chapter 6 Engaging Consultants	189	(16)
Why Engage Consultants?	189	(1)
Consultant Management Parameters	190	(3)
Types of Consultants	190	(2)
Contract Labor - Staff Supplementation	191	(1)
Specialty Consultants	191	(1)
Consulting Contracts	192	(6)
Consulting Contracts - Core Success Parameters	192	(1)
Carrier Contract Position Parameters	193	(3)
Objectives	193	(1)
Awareness	194	(1)
Autonomy	194	(1)
Access	195	(1)
Accountability & Responsibility	196	(1)
Sensitivity	196	(1)
Consultant Delivery Posture Parameters	196	(2)
Staffing Levels	196	(1)
Skills and Experience Levels	197	(1)
Methodologies and Disciplines	197	(1)
Price	197	(1)
Timing	198	(1)
Assessing Consultants and Engagements	198	(1)
Company Contract Position vs. Consultant Delivery Posture Analysis	198	(3)
The Negotiation Process	200	(1)
Getting into Trouble with Revenue Assurance Consulting	201	(3)
Failures of the Carrier	201	(1)
Poorly Defined Objectives	201	(1)
Poor Awareness = Poor Results	201	(1)
Assumptions about Autonomy and Access	202	(1)
Failure to Clearly Lay Out Responsibilities and Accountabilities	202	(1)
Failures of the Consultant	202	(1)
Skills and Experience	202	(1)
Methodology and Discipline	203	(1)
Failure to Understand or Require Autonomy and Accessibility	203	(1)
Failure to Read the Environment (Poor Awareness)	203	(1)
Scope Creep	204	(1)
Conclusion	204	(1)
Section 4: Chapter 7 Dissecting the Classical RA Project Plan	205	(14)
The Classical Revenue Assurance Project Plan	206	(1)
The Assessment Phase	206	(6)
Components of an Assessment	207	(4)
Situational Review	207	(1)
Organizational Review	208	(1)
Skills and Team Review	208	(1)
Systems Review	209	(1)
Process Review	209	(1)
Metrics Review	210	(1)
Metrics Development	210	(1)
How Much Effort Should go into an Assessment Phase?	211	(1)
The Solution Development Phase	212	(2)
Organizational Change	212	(1)
Operational Change	213	(1)
Computer Systems Enhancements	213	(1)
Skills Improvements	213	(1)
New Metrics Establishment	213	(1)
The Correction Phase	214	(2)
Quick Fixes	215	(1)
Institutional Remedies	215	(1)
Recovery Efforts	215	(1)
The Institutionalization Phase	216	(1)
Creation of New Organizations	216	(1)
Incorporation of New Systems	216	(1)
Development of New Policies and Procedures	217	(1)
Integration of New Metrics	217	(1)
Creation of Closed Loop Systems and Self-Learning Organizations	217	(2)
Section 4: Chapter 8 The Revenue Assurance Group	219	(24)
Responsibilities of a Revenue Assurance Group	219	(5)
Limitations Inherent in the RA Function	220	(1)
Learning How to PIC the Right Solutions	221	(1)
RA Manager Assets	221	(1)
Virtual Assets and the Shared RA Mission	222	(1)
Borrowing Assets from Other Departments	222	(1)
Internal Versus Borrowed Resources	222	(1)
Pitfalls of Borrowing	223	(1)
Credibility as an Asset	223	(1)
Developing an Inventory of Coverage Needs	224	(1)
Coverage for Corporate-wide Risk	224	(1)
Leakage Threat Response	225	(1)
Leakage Threat Management Discipline	225	(1)
The Investigation Function	225	(1)
Staffing for Leakage-Threat Response	226	(1)
Leakage Monitoring	226	(4)
Monitoring and Reviewing	227	(1)
Creating and Maintaining Baseline Reports	228	(1)
Staffing for Leakage Monitoring	229	(1)
Leakage Remedy	230	(1)
Leakage Prevention	230	(1)
Staffing for Leakage Prevention	231	(1)
Developing Coverage for System-Specific Risk	231	(8)
Staffing for Audits	231	(1)
Auditing: A Specialized Area	232	(1)
Staffing for Specific-System Monitoring	232	(1)
Corporate Audit and Monitoring Departments	233	(1)
Corporate Level Investigation and Prospecting	234	(1)
Regional/State level RA	234	(1)
Focused Revenue Assurance Functions	235	(2)
Billing RA	235	(1)
Mediation RA	235	(1)
Collections RA	235	(1)
Dunning RA	236	(1)
Network RA	236	(1)
Customer RA	236	(1)
Activation RA	236	(1)
Service Order RA	236	(1)
Staffing, Skills, Roles, and Responsibilities	237	(1)
Creating and Maintaining the Baseline Reports	237	(1)
Monitoring and Reviewing	238	(1)
Audit Skills	238	(1)
Investigations: Reactive/Proactive	239	(1)
A Catalog of Skill Sets	239	(1)
Subject Areas	239	(1)
Technical Skills	240	(1)
Creating a Staffing Roadmap	240	(3)
Staffing Checklist: Operational Area Monitoring	241	(1)
Staffing Checklist: Corporate-Wide Monitoring	242	(1)
Section 4: Chapter 9 Business Process Re-Engineering Six Sigma and RA	243	(18)
A History of Business Process Engineering Approaches	243	(1)
Business Process Re-engineering	244	(1)
Total Quality Management	245	(2)
Six Sigma	247	(1)
Six Sigma and its Statistical Roots	247	(1)
Six Sigma Methodology	248	(1)
Black Belts and Green Belts	248	(1)
Applying these Disciplines to RA	248	(2)
Common Elements of all Process Engineering Approaches	249	(1)
Core Process Modeling Techniques	250	(11)
IDEE	250	(3)
How to Create an IDEFO Diagram	251	(2)
Cross Functional Flowchart	253	(1)
Data Flow Diagrams	254	(2)
Fishbone Diagram (Cause and Effect Diagram)	256	(1)
Workflow Diagrams	257	(4)
Section 5: Chapter 1 Monitoring and Reporting	261	(16)
Different Types of Revenue Assurance Reports	261	(3)
Audit Reports	262	(1)
Operational System Reports	262	(1)
Monitoring Reports	262	(1)
Baseline Reports	263	(1)
Overlap Between Categories of Reports	263	(1)
Manually Prepared vs. Computer Generated Reports	264	(1)
A Leakage Perspective on Reports	264	(2)
Understanding Intra-Process Leakage	266	(3)
Categories of Monitoring Reports	269	(1)
Reporting Criteria	269	(1)
Creating a Monitoring Report Portfolio	270	(1)
Why So Many Reports? The Transformation Problem	270	(1)
Using Monitoring Reports	270	(4)
Time Series, Transformation and Other Challenges	271	(1)
The Time-Series Anomaly	271	(1)
Why Use Monitoring Reports?	272	(1)
Using I/O Reports	272	(1)
Using Aging-, Error- and Reject-File Reports	273	(1)
Using Reference-Data Reports	273	(1)
Using Distribution Reports	273	(1)
Judgment and the Human Factor	274	(1)
Prioritizing the Report Specification Process	275	(1)
Build, Buy or Borrow your Monitoring Reports?	275	(1)
Leveraging Monitoring Reports	276	(1)
Mapping your Monitoring Report Environment	276	(1)
Section 5: Chapter 2 Baseline Reporting	277	(16)
Reasons for Baseline Reporting	277	(1)
Detecting Inter-Process Leakage	277	(1)
Baselines Assess Individual Operations	278	(1)
Establishing C-Level Monitoring Capabilities	278	(1)
Baseline Reports as Early Leakage Warning Systems	278	(1)
Baseline Report Types -A Review	278	(1)
Description of Baseline Reports	278	(10)
The Time-Phase Challenge	280	(3)
Revenue Recognition Timing and Units of Measure	281	(1)
Revenue Invoicing Timing and Units of Measure	281	(1)
Revenue Realization Timing and Units of Measure	282	(1)
Top-Level Reports	283	(1)
Second-Level Reports	284	(1)
Third-Level Reports	285	(2)
Cash-Flow Position Reports	287	(1)
Creating Baseline Reports	288	(5)
Technical Challenges	288	(1)
Business Challenges to Baseline Reporting	289	(2)
Addressing Business Challenges	291	(2)
Credibility - the First Priority	291	(1)
Involve All Organizations in the Design of Baseline Reports	291	(1)
Perform Business Certification of All Reported Values	291	(1)
Protect the Credibility of the System	292	(1)
Section 5: Chapter 3 Investigation and Prospecting	293	(8)
What is Investigation and Prospecting?	293	(2)
Where are These Techniques Applied?	294	(1)
The Need for an Investigation Discipline	295	(1)
Investigation Scenarios	295	(3)
New Product Development	295	(1)
Enter the Investigator	296	(1)
Persistent Anomalies	296	(1)
Ad Hoc/Catastrophic Events	297	(1)
Deep Diving	297	(1)
Skills and Infrastructure to Support Investigations	298	(3)
Investigator Skill Sets	298	(1)
Investigator Temperament and Aptitude	299	(1)
Organizational Issues for Investigation	300	(1)
Section 5: Chapter 4 Audit Functions	301	(18)
Types of Audits	301	(1)
Characteristics of Audit Processes	302	(1)
Audit Techniques	303	(7)
Tracing	303	(2)
Alignment Record Layouts (ARL)	305	(1)
Sampling	305	(1)
Test Calls	306	(2)
Reconciliation	308	(1)
Performing Reconciliation	308	(1)
Audit Architecture	309	(1)
Audit Review	310	(8)
Bill-Cycle Audit	310	(3)
Configuration Audits	313	(1)
Event Audits	314	(1)
Audit and Reconfiguration Triggers	314	(3)
New Product Development	315	(1)
New Bill Codes	315	(1)
System Changes	316	(1)
Major Changes in Personnel or Organizational Structure	316	(1)
Catastrophic Events	316	(1)
System Audits	317	(1)
Audit Summary	318	(1)
Section 6: Chapter 1 RA Systems Development	319	(18)
Current Industry Practices in Revenue Assurance	319	(1)
Trends and Future Directions in RA Systems Development	320	(1)
Top Management Attitude Change about RA	320	(1)
Change in Hardware and Software Costs	321	(1)
Change in Attitude of Revenue Assurance Professionals	321	(1)
Basic Revenue Assurance System Options	321	(3)
Assembling the Building Blocks	321	(1)
Building a Revenue Assurance System	322	(1)
The "Dreaded" List of Requirements	323	(1)
The "Dreaded" list of Examples of Revenue Assurance Exposure	323	(1)
The Structural Approach to Deploying Revenue Assurance Systems	324	(1)
Critical Success Factors in RA System Development	324	(1)
1. It is a Collection of Capabilities, Not an Application	324	(1)
2. Everything Should be Driven by Risk/Return Analysis	325	(1)
3. Use What You Have Available	325	(1)
Overall Architecture	325	(2)
Monitoring Modules	325	(1)
Scorecard Modules	326	(1)
Reconciliation Modules	326	(1)
Audit Modules	326	(1)
Specialized Modules	326	(1)
Challenges of Building a Revenue Assurance System	327	(2)
Build Versus Buy and the Role of COTS	327	(1)
Alternative Architectures: Hard-coded Versus Layered Applications	328	(1)
The Traditional Hard-Coded Approach	328	(1)
The Layered Architectural Approach	329	(1)
Step One: Architecture Design - Determining the Information Sources	329	(8)
Operational Systems	329	(2)
What Information is Needed?	331	(1)
Difficulties in Determining Information Requirements	332	(1)
Defining Information Requirements	333	(1)
Objectives for Revenue Assurance Systems Design	334	(3)
Section 6: Chapter 2 Revenue Assurance Architectural Design	337	(20)
Designing Architecture for Monitoring	337	(3)
Direct Access to Operational Systems	339	(1)
Leveraging the Architecture	340	(3)
Access Layer Leverage	341	(1)
Storage Layer Leverage	341	(2)
Designing Architecture for Reconciliation	343	(2)
About COTS Applications	345	(2)
Figure 6.2.8 Reconciliation systems design	345	(2)
Creating Architecture for Investigation and Auditing	347	(1)
Issues with architecture development	348	(19)
User-Interface Issues	348	(3)
Single Point of Access/Consistent Look and Feel	350	(1)
Good Response Time	350	(1)
Data Storage and Post-Processing Issues	351	(2)
Realities	351	(1)
Political Constraints	352	(1)
Contention Issues	352	(1)
Timing and Data Volume Issues	353	(1)
Access, Extract, Transform, and Load Issues	353	(1)
A Comparison of Approaches	354	(3)
Section 6: Chapter 3 Special Revenue Assurance Application	357	(10)
Network Probes	357	(2)
Rating Engines and Other Comparison Engines	359	(2)
The Role of Rating Engines	361	(1)
Traffic and Activity Simulation Applications	361	(2)
Simulation Application Uses	363	(1)
Fraud Management Systems	363	(5)
Basic Operational Approach of Fraud Management Systems	364	(3)
Section 6: Chapter 4 Assembling the Building Blocks	367	(8)
The Right Architecture Based on the Organization's Needs	368	(2)
Can You Build the Architecture Without Business Knowledge'?	370	(1)
Right Architecture Based on the Current Systems Environment	370	(1)
Compiling the Information Needed	371	(1)
General Guidelines for Creating a Comprehensive RA Environment	371	(5)
The Requirements-Driven Approach	371	(1)
The Information-Capabilities-Driven Approach	372	(1)
Conclusion	373	(2)
Section 7: Chapter 1 Conclusion	375	(10)
Goals for This Book	375	(1)
Key Concepts Established	376	(7)
The Scope of Revenue Assurance	376	(1)
Objectives and Approaches	377	(1)
Core Functions and Disciplines	377	(1)
Coverage Models	377	(1)
Operationalism and Responsibility	378	(1)
Rationalization	378	(2)
The "Noise" Concept	379	(1)
The Opportunity Map	379	(1)
Mobilization	380	(1)
Is RA an I/T, Organizational or Operational Problem'?	380	(1)
The Capabilities Assessment	380	(1)
Purchasing Revenue Assurance Software	381	(1)
Using Consultants to Assist with Revenue Assurance Efforts	381	(1)
Using BPR, Six Sigma and Business Process Re-engineering	381	(1)
Operational Framework and Details	381	(2)
Monitoring	381	(1)
Baselining	382	(1)
Investigation	382	(1)
Auditing	382	(1)
Staffing	383	(1)
Computer Systems: Roles and Issues	383	(1)
Architecture	383	(1)
Welcome to RA - It Grows More Complicated Every Day	383	(2)
The Need Keeps Growing	384	(1)
Acronyms	385