Momentum achieves nationwide inclusive budgeting across 43 branches with IDU-Concept.

IDU-Concept gave Momentum — now MMI Group, South Africa's third-largest life insurer — its first fully inclusive, nationwide budgeting process.

MMI Group Limited, a subsidiary of MMI Holdings — South Africa's third-largest life insurance group, JSE-listed and with 122 years of underwriting history — was formed through the 2010 merger of Metropolitan and Momentum. Operating through its Momentum brand across a national branch network, the group carries the scale and complexity typical of a financial services institution of this size.

Momentum's existing budgeting infrastructure had a structural flaw that no configuration change could fix: the in-house system was not web-based. That single constraint meant the national branch network was shut out entirely — branches could not access the system, could not enter their own budgets, and could not participate in forecasting, reporting, or consolidation. With no mechanism for branches to participate directly, the process was fragmented and consolidation was slow and difficult to manage. Divisions operated without visibility into one another's numbers, and with no mechanism for managers to own their cost centres, accountability across divisions was lacking.

In early 2012, Momentum implemented IDU-Concept — and because remuneration at a financial services group of this complexity could not be handled through a generic payroll line, IDU built a custom module that budgeted remuneration per individual employee. The module was integrated directly into the core application.

Speed was the critical proof point. Momentum's team was live across 27 users and 43 branches in six weeks — fast enough to meet the annual budgeting cycle deadline. For a group whose branches had previously been locked out of the budgeting process entirely, reaching a nationwide footprint inside six weeks was not a minor operational achievement. It was the moment the structural problem was solved.

Within 12 months, that initial rollout of 27 users had grown to 180 budget users and 190 MIS users — a scale that reflected not just adoption, but a genuine shift in how budgeting worked across the group. Departments that had previously sat outside the process were now inside it. Managers were entering data directly into their own cost centres, rather than feeding numbers upward and waiting. The result was budgeting that was faster, more accurate, and — for the first time at this scale — genuinely inclusive. Where fragmentation and absent accountability had defined the previous model, Momentum now had visibility, ownership, and a process broad enough to match the reach of its national network.

"Momentum needed a solution that could handle complex remuneration budgeting while empowering managers nationwide. IDU‑Concept delivered transparency, accountability, and efficiency, transforming their budgeting process into a streamlined, inclusive system." – Kevin Phillips, CEO, IDU

"For the first time we have been able to include more people in the budgeting process, increasing involvement, tighter control, improved transparency, and a greater sense of ownership across divisions." – Zandi Eksteen, Accountant, Momentum Group

The results in brief:

- Nationwide rollout to 43 branches, expanding to 180+ users within a year. - Custom remuneration module, enabling budgeting by employee. - Improved transparency and accountability, with managers owning their cost centres. - Faster, more inclusive budgeting, reducing time and increasing departmental involvement.