Pension scheme trustees should consider taking action now to prepare for pensions dashboards, LCP has said, outlining four key steps that trustees should look to take as the industry moves closer to connection.

Work to connect to the pensions dashboards ecosystem has been continuing ahead of the final connection deadline of 31 October 2026, with Nest, Smart Pension, and XPS Group the latest to highlight recent progress on their connection efforts.

LCP has since also shared its latest thinking as to how pension scheme trustees can ensure their scheme is in the best position, reflecting on the experience of those who have already connected.

In particular, the firm encouraged trustees to set up a focused working group for larger or more complex schemes, arguing that establishing a dedicated dashboards working group early in the process is crucial.

This, according to LCP, can help avoid overloading already full trustee meeting agendas and allows decisions to be made more efficiently.

LCP also highlighted the value of governance documents, urging trustees to develop a central dashboards governance document that is kept updated between meetings to capture key decisions, actions and progress across workstreams like data cleansing and calculation readiness.

The role of communication and transparency were also emphasised, as LCP encouraged trustees to open up lines of communication with straightforward meeting agendas, clear ownership of actions and a commitment to transparency.

It also stressed the need for proportionality, stating that being flexible and scaling the level of oversight to reflect project needs ensured the trustee stayed informed without creating unnecessary work.

LCP associate consultant, Priya Patel, said: “Dashboard readiness doesn’t have to be painful. With the right governance, tools and communication in place, schemes can manage the process efficiently.

"In our experience early structure and clear collaboration between all parties — no matter how complex the scheme’s setup — is key to getting dashboards connection right.”

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