Worked case · Failure and stress · 12 figures

Comparable customer segments

Segment for meaningful comparison

Figure 01 / 12

The population that monitoring actually sees

The population that monitoring actually sees — Comparable customer segments. Count; segmented activity records in one day. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Count; segmented activity records in one day

9,504 of 13,200 source items enter this monitoring calculation. The missing 3,696 items are a coverage gap, not evidence of low risk. Reconcile stable identifiers and amounts where appropriate before interpreting the alert rate.

Figure data and text version
Population stateItems
Included in monitoring9,504
Absent from this run3,696

A cash-intensive retailer and a payroll provider can have different ordinary transaction patterns. A single peer comparison can obscure both legitimate variation and relevant changes.

One global baseline produces excessive hits for a structurally different customer group.

All amounts, rates, capacity limits, and outcomes in this case are synthetic. The three conditions are separate assumptions for comparison. A better result in the response condition is not measured proof that the proposed control causes that improvement. The figures expose the calculation and its limits; a real deployment needs its own evidence.

Read the result

The daily source population is 13,200 items, but 3,696 are outside the completed monitoring run. The included population creates 633 hits and 380 unique cases. With 35 cases already open and capacity for 312, the queue closes at 103. Coverage, duplicate work, and staffing are separate causes; reducing one number does not prove that the overall control improved.

Model inputs and calculated values

Inputs below are the case-specific values. Each figure states the condition-specific assumptions and units used in its calculation. Calculated values are rounded for display.

InputValue
population13,200
alertRate0.037
capacity390
Calculated valueResult
population13,200
covered9,504
missing3,696
raw633
duplicates253
cases380
opening35
resolved312
closing103
capacity312
Figure 02 / 12

From scenario hits to unique cases

From scenario hits to unique cases — Comparable customer segments. Count; hit and case units differ. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Count; hit and case units differ

633 raw hits become 380 cases after removing 253 repeated references to the same case under the stated merge rule. Deduplication should reduce duplicate work while retaining the underlying events and reasons. It must not merge unrelated activity merely because values look similar.

Figure data and text version
StageCount
Raw scenario hits633
Duplicate references253
Unique cases380
Figure 03 / 12

The queue balance is an accounting identity

The queue balance is an accounting identity — Comparable customer segments. Cases per day. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Cases per day

Opening backlog 35 + arrivals 380 − completed cases 312 = closing backlog 103. Completion is capped by both available work and the stated capacity. This identity is useful even when average handling times are uncertain.

Figure data and text version
MovementCasesDefinition
Opening backlog35Unresolved at window start
New cases380Unique arrivals in this window
Completed312Reached a defined completion state
Closing backlog103Unresolved at window end
Figure 04 / 12

Backlog accumulates across uneven days

Backlog accumulates across uneven days — Comparable customer segments. Cases unresolved at day end. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Cases unresolved at day end

This deterministic six-day example applies a stated daily arrival multiplier and a constant completion capacity. Unused capacity does not carry forward as completed work. The series is a workload illustration; it omits variable case durations and specialist routing. Horizontal positions are the labeled observations or scenarios; equal spacing does not imply equal numerical increments.

Figure data and text version
DayClosing backlog
D1103
D2114
D3258
D4516
D5622
D6576
Figure 05 / 12

Arrivals and completions need separate plots

Arrivals and completions need separate plots — Comparable customer segments. Cases per day. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Cases per day

The service line cannot exceed the work available that day. A team can complete more cases than arrive while clearing an opening backlog. Conversely, stable staffing can coexist with a growing queue when arrivals remain higher than capacity. Horizontal positions are the labeled observations or scenarios; equal spacing does not imply equal numerical increments.

Figure data and text version
DayArrivalsCompletions
D1380312
D2323312
D3456312
D4570312
D5418312
D6266312
Figure 06 / 12

An illustrative age profile of open work

An illustrative age profile of open work — Comparable customer segments. Cases; constructed snapshot. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Cases; constructed snapshot

The closing backlog is 103 cases. The 50/30/remainder split is an explicit illustrative age allocation, not a distribution inferred from the arrival model. Production age buckets must come from each case’s actual receipt and status history.

Figure data and text version
Age bucketOpen cases
Under one day52
One to three days31
Over three days20
Figure 07 / 12

Completion outcomes are not criminal labels

Completion outcomes are not criminal labels — Comparable customer segments. Completed review tasks; synthetic disposition allocation. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Completed review tasks; synthetic disposition allocation

Of 312 completed review tasks, 53 are referred for further assessment, 37 need another evidence action, and 222 close under the stated procedure. These are operational outcomes. None is a probability of money laundering or a substitute for a reporting decision.

Figure data and text version
Review dispositionTasks
Referred for assessment53
Further evidence action37
Closed under procedure222
Figure 08 / 12

Known-event tests assess specific coverage

Known-event tests assess specific coverage — Comparable customer segments. Synthetic coverage test. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Synthetic coverage test

The injected test set contains 100 known test events designed to exercise segment for meaningful comparison. The system surfaces 63. That 63% detection result measures this constructed test set only; it does not establish population-wide detection of illicit activity.

Figure data and text version
MeasureCountInterpretation
Injected known events100Defined test population
Detected by the scenario63Expected evidence reached the control
Not detected37Investigate data, logic, and delivery
Real-world illicit prevalenceUnknownNot inferred from this test
Figure 09 / 12

Data quality has several independent dimensions

Data quality has several independent dimensions — Comparable customer segments. Count; overlapping field checks. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Count; overlapping field checks

Each row is a different field requirement over the same source population. Completeness alone does not establish that values are accurate or current. The case uses explicit illustrative missing counts to show how data quality can affect scenario coverage.

Figure data and text version
Field requirementPresentAbsent
Party reference12,540660
Event time11,3521,848
Counterparty context9,2403,960
Figure 10 / 12

Type the relationship before drawing an inference

Type the relationship before drawing an inference — Comparable customer segments. Typed evidence relationships. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Typed evidence relationships

This evidence map distinguishes a customer relationship, a transfer, and a case reference. The links support segment for meaningful comparison; they do not imply common ownership or intent. A shared data point is a lead whose meaning depends on source, time, and context.

Figure data and text version
FromToRelationship
Comparable customer segmentsCounterparty AObserved transfer
Comparable customer segmentsProfile recordDeclared business
Counterparty ACase recordEvidence reference
Profile recordCase recordContext for review
Figure 11 / 12

Case clocks start from defined events

Case clocks start from defined events — Comparable customer segments. Illustrative internal timing. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Illustrative internal timing

A legal deadline, an internal response target, and an evidence-expiry date can start from different events. The hours here are internal teaching targets only. They are not BSA, sanctions, consumer-protection, or other statutory deadlines.

Figure data and text version
EventRelative timeOperational meaning
Source eventT0Activity occurred
Data arrivalT0 + 2 hoursThe monitoring system learned it
Case createdT0 + 3 hoursWork entered an owned queue
Internal review targetT0 + 27 hoursIllustrative 24-hour target from case creation
DispositionRecorded separatelyUse actual decision and reporting records
Figure 12 / 12

The end-to-end delivery contract

The end-to-end delivery contract — Comparable customer segments. Operational control path. Exact values are in the figure data below.
Operational control path

The scenario is incomplete until the intended evidence reaches an owned case. For segment for meaningful comparison, verify source coverage, hit creation, queue acceptance, reviewer access, and final disposition separately. A green job status proves only that a job reported completion.

Figure data and text version
BoundaryAcceptance evidence
Source to scenario9504 included source items; 3696 missing
Scenario to case633 hits linked to 380 unique cases
Case to reviewerRequired evidence visible under the reviewer role
Reviewer to outcomeDisposition, rationale, and any separate reporting decision retained

Connect the result to the system

Use justified segments, monitor coverage within them, and preserve changes to segment membership.

Check the population, evidence, permitted action, and actual effect together. A balanced calculation can still use the wrong population; a successful response can still leave an unknown financial outcome. The case’s numerical result applies only to its stated assumptions.

Sources and further reading

The chapter sources support the concepts and scope. They do not prescribe the synthetic model rates.

  1. FFIEC: suspicious activity reporting
  2. FATF Recommendations: international standards