A checklist for successful shared services
Shared services are probably the most likely way that local authorities can meet the budget challenge, but are very difficult to implement. An informal approach can sometimes yield quick dividends, at the risk of getting very messy if things go wrong. Success in sharing services is more often a lengthy and complex process. The following list of key success factors reflects our experience of numerous shared service assignments for our clients and may be useful both as an aide memoire and to highlight the areas where you may need some external support:
- Visioning/objective setting - having clarity about what the shared services are to achieve
- Options analysis including options for legal frameworks, commercial options, IT, service delivery, benefits potential - this is where our multidisciplinary shared service team of lawyers, procurement specialists, IT specialists, process improvement specialists and benefits realisation specialists comes into its own
- Business case development - making out the business case to support the shared service - but don't spend too long on it - the benefits are often self evident, and we have a large source of data to support the types of circumstance where shared services can be justified
- IT strategy, infrastructure planning - designing ICT to suit a shared service poses different challenges from the normal
- Basic "get you started" IT strategy - the basics to get a new organisation up and running with basic IT, financial, HR, business management systems
- Legal frameworks - defining them and evaluating the options
- Procurement frameworks - defining the options and advising on pros and cons
- Licence management - how to rationalise current applications without it costing a fortune
- Partnership development - often the weakest point, how to create stronger and more resilient partnerships that work
- Governance models for the shared service
- Service optimisation
- Project and programme management - getting it done
- Procurement support
- Benefits realisation
- Transition planning and management
- Service level planning and preparation of SLAs
- Contract drafting and finalisation
- Support to client contract managers - getting the best out of the shared services
- Support to the shared service managers - working in a service level focused environment
- Conciliation service - when things go wrong - including, in extreme cases, a euthanasia service to kill it off as painlessly as possible
Have you covered everything in the list? If not, drop me an e-mail to see how we can help. If you have, then still drop us an e-mail - we like to pick up on good success stories.