{"id":2934,"date":"2017-03-07T19:11:49","date_gmt":"2017-03-07T19:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.peeriosity.com\/shared-services\/articles\/?p=2934"},"modified":"2022-08-24T17:48:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T17:48:06","slug":"lessons-learned-from-standing-up-a-new-shared-service-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peeriosity.com\/shared-services\/articles\/2017\/03\/lessons-learned-from-standing-up-a-new-shared-service-operation\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons Learned from Standing Up a New Shared Service Operation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Transitioning decentralized processes to a Shared Services<\/a> design can be challenging regardless of which functional areas are being consolidated.\u00a0 Even companies with prior consolidation experience can run into roadblocks that cause added complexity and delays, with each new project having its own unique twists and nuances, regardless of the quality of the project plan or the number of external consultants engaged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently featured on a Peeriosity PeercastTM<\/sup> was a major food products company with extensive operations across the globe.\u00a0 In November 2013, this company began a global four-year efficiency and effectiveness program designed to fuel strategic growth, with Global Business Services (GBS) as a key part of the larger overall initiative. The company made a strategic decision to transition and transform select processes to a global business services model within four functional areas: Human Resources, IT, Finance, and Supply Chain. They chose these functions because they provided the greatest opportunity to align processes globally and offered initial cost savings. They considered GBS as a key part of delivering fuel for strategic growth for the company as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n

The overall GBS vision and purpose for the new organization were centered around the following five pillars:<\/span><\/p>\n