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Activity-based management

Activity-based management uses activity cost and performance information to improve processes, customer or product economics and resource use. It goes beyond assigning costs by asking why activities occur, whether they add value and how their demand or resource consumption can be changed. Operational improvements and strategic decisions should be evaluated with quality, capacity and customer effects. An apparent activity saving does not become a cash benefit unless resources are released or productively redeployed.

Worked example

Order analysis shows repeat corrections consume 30% of processing time. Improving input quality can reduce rework rather than merely allocating the correction pool differently.

Common mistake

Do not claim a calculated activity-cost reduction is automatically a cash saving when staff and equipment remain unchanged.

Where it appears in your exams

QualificationExamRelationshipPeriod
ACCA APM Direct September 2026–June 2027