Using Key Performance Indicators

From measurement to management


Date: May 2005
Author: Peter Ellis
Price: £500 to non-members of the Investit Intelligence Member service

Asset managers are coming under pressure on three fronts to formalise their approach to business management: Sarbanes-Oxley, Basel II, and the need of clients and consultants for an independent assessment of operational competence. The most effective way for a manager to prove its operational division works well, is through key performance indicators (KPIs), which measure the level of achievement of different departments and processes.

Asset managers rarely use KPIs properly - a systematic approach isn't applied. It is thought that there are too many KPIs and it's too hard to get consensus agreement on a smaller set.

Therefore, this paper identifies 48 key performance measures (KPMs) that could be used as an industry-standard, allowing managers to overcome the problems associated with KPIs. These KPMs are divided into five categories:

  • Investment Accounting
  • Client Servicing
  • Fund Services
  • Market Operations
  • Performance Services

By creating a standard set of measures across the asset management industry, this report allows managers to assess internal business processes and assess third party administrators (TPAs) in outsourcing selections. The report is an ideal tool for senior business managers to assess those business functions that are performing well, and which are performing poorly.

Table of contents


Management Summary   3
1.0 Introduction   5
1.1     Methodology   6
1.2 Terms and acronyms   7
2.0 An Introduction to KPIs   9
2.1 KPIs - the basics   10
2.2 The problem with KPIs   12
2.3 KPIs in business management   13
3.0 KPIs in Investment Management   15
3.1 An overview of investment management KPIs   16
3.2 Drivers for an industry-standard set of KPIs   21
3.3 An industry-standard approach to KPIs   24
3.4 Operational benchmarking using KPMs   27
4.0 KPIs in Outsourcing   29
4.1 The two levels of outsourcing   30
4.2 SLAs for outsourcing   32
4.3 Using KPIs in SLAs for outsourcing   34
5.0 A Structured Framework for KPIs   37
5.1 The need to formalise business management   38
5.2 A framework for investment management   40
5.3 Defining KPIs   43
5.4 KPMs   44
5.5 LAIs   46
5.6 Going beyond the structured framework   48
5.7 KPI management   49
6.0 Conclusions   53


<< Back to Member services page

Contact
Clare Vincent-Silk
+44 (0)20 7933 9904
Email Clare Vincent-Silk
  • Press release - Investment managers identify their key priorities
  • Press release - Investit and Stone House Consulting announce a strategic partnership
  • Press release - Investment managers identify their priorities for the year ahead
  • See all press releases, articles and event information here

Enterprise Risk Management Intelligence report now available to read via Intelligence Online.

 

Click here to log in...