How to assess?

Start

Assessment process and methodological tips

How to assess?

Click on each step to explore it.

Conduct a first meeting

Look for a consultant

Budget for the assessment

Appoint a focal person

Choose the audit methodology

FSP determined to assess its social and environmental performance

Get familiar with SPI Online

You are a financial service provider and want to assess your social and environmental performance? Get ready by going through the following steps!

Share a draft report with the FSP. Based on key findings, prioritize gaps and develop an action plan. Finalize the report integrating the FSP's feedback, and disseminate findings.

Then, conduct interviews (both at headquarters and branch level, with management, staff, clients, and other stakeholders), enter your data in the tool, and discuss preliminary findings with the FSP.

REPORTING & PLANNING

IMPLEMENTATION

Auditor ready to conduct the SEPM audit

Start your assessment by requesting and reviewing relevant documents, as well as preparing the agenda and interviews.

PREPARATION

Click the icons below to discover the different phases of the assessment process.

Ready? Let's now explore the assessment process, from the auditor's point of view.

1-2 days

2-4 days

6-15 days

1-2 days

0.5-1 day

4-5 days

6-15 days

TOOLS

PATHWAYS

Focus Green

CP Commit

CP Full

ALINUS

ESG Risk

SPI5 Entry

SPI5 Full

Environ-mental Pathway

Client Protection Pathway

SEPM Pathway

The time needed for assessment will vary according to the selected tool...

SHORTER

LONGER

How would the assessment duration vary in the following situations?

SHORTER

• If the FSP is strongly involved (devoting staff) in the self-assessment:

• If it is a repeat audit:

• If the FSP is large and has spread out branches:

• If the audit is used more as a reporting than management tool:

• If gap areas and priorities are discussed with management:

LONGER

SHORTER

SHORTER

SHORTER

LONGER

LONGER

LONGER

LONGER

LONGER

... but also according to why and how the audit is conducted.

SHORTER

SHORTER

SHORTER

1-2 days

Visits to stakeholders

0.5-1.5 days

Workshop on action plan

2h

Workshop to discuss findings

1-4 days

Focus groups with clients

3-4h

Intro meeting with stakeholders

1.5-5 days

Report & action plan

2h

Presentation of findings

2-4 days

Interviews, fill in tool

1-3 days

Desk review

Optional activities

Key activities

Audit process

>

>

2h

Intro meeting with top management

depending on the stakeholders involved

2-6.5 days

PHASE 3. REPORTING & PLANNING

3-6 days

PHASE 2. IMPLEMENTATION

1.5-3 days

PHASE 1. PREPARATION

For instance, for a SPI5 Full assessment, the audit process can take between 6 and 15 days, on average.

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This is false! All indicators in the questionnaire must be filled in to get a relevant overview of the FSP performance. SPI Online tools and indicators are based on the Universal Standards, which are designed to be... "universal"! So most providers should be able to answer every indicator.

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

Indicators too complicated to answer can be left out.

What do you think about the practices listed below? True or false? Click on your answer to find out more.

A critical aspect is to ensure high quality audits. How can we do that?

This is false! Comments should be filled in as much as possible. They are here to justify the scoring. They allow to validate the quality of the audit. They also provide key information to help build the action plan.

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

Filling in the "concrete practices, comments and clarification" column is only useful if the audit is to be shared with investors.

TRUE

FALSE

This is true! We can only score as "YES" or "PARTIALLY" practices that are already implemented. The auditor can however document the future projects in the comment section to acknowledge what is planned.

TRUE

Projects that WILL BE developed in the near future but do not exist should be scored as a “NO".

What do you think about the practices listed below? True or false? Click on your answer to find out more.

A critical aspect is to ensure high quality audits. How can we do that?

This is false! Auditors must conduct as objective analysis as possible. Overestimating scores can mislead an FSP and rob it of the opportunity to address gaps and make improvements. Auditors can always “soften” the impact of low scores by comparing the provider’s results to benchmarks for its peer group.

FALSE

TRUE

FALSE

It is recommended to score indicators in a flexible, positive way in order to encourage the FSP.

What do you think about the practices listed below? True or false? Click on your answer to find out more.

A critical aspect is to ensure high quality audits. How can we do that?

TRUE

FALSE

This is true! It is not uncommon to read one thing in a policy manual and observe something different at the branch level. Comparing information from different sources (documents, interviewees, your own observation) will allow you to provide a coherent analysis that is based on empirical evidence.

TRUE

Triangulating information is crucial to ensure a robust analysis.

What do you think about the practices listed below? True or false? Click on your answer to find out more.

A critical aspect is to ensure high quality audits. How can we do that?

A crucial point is to ensure high quality audit, in particular by filling in all indicators of the questionnaire, justifying the scores in comments, avoiding to overestimate, and triangulating information.

It implies a preparation phase (training and tool testing, introductory meeting, desk review), an implementation phase (interviews/visits, filling in the questionnaire, presentation of premilinary results), and a reporting and planning phase (action plan, guidance for improvements, dissemination of results).

The audit process can take between 0.5 and 15 days depending on the selected SPI Online assessment tool, the objective of the audit, and the methodology chosen.

So far so good? Recap!