Day 13 and the US Government is Still Closed, but Shared Services is Carrying On...

Today's world news headlines are dominated by the US Government shutdown, after Congress was not able to agree on a budget. And while even the mighty force of Shared Services cannot overcome political infighting, those of you who have been paying attention know just how much money Shared Services has been saving for public sector institutions that have invested in exemplary service delivery models. As a result of the US impasse, 800,000 federal workers face furloughs and more than a million others will be asked to work without pay. ust before midnight yesterday, the Office of Management & Budget issued orders for agencies to "execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations." We've pulled together some of the best examples of Shared Services operating in the non-private sector (see below), to provide some encouragement. So while Washington is trying to figure out how to keep the business going, SSO leaders have been doing what they can behind the scenes to make what funds are available go that much further. As NASA's Ken Newton said in an article last year: "Shared Services is what put the Rover Curiosity on Mars." Nothing says clearer than that, that the scope of an SSO model extends beyond just cutting costs or automating process. Today, Shared Services is about enabling the business as never before. And whether that means supporting growth into new markets, facilitating M&A assimilations, or mining and analysing enterprise data, effectively it means providing a better experience to the end customer. From Australia, to the UK, to provincial government in Canada (often the poster child of public sector shared services) and the US, there are a lot of incredibly inspiring stories relating to how Shared Services is delivering better services to the end-user; and when it comes to Public Service, the end user is more often than not you and me. NASA's SSO: Enabling Missions to Mars England's Local Councils Lead in Shared Services Collaborations Uncle Sam Issues Shared Services Guidelines Public Sector Lessons on How to Avoid Failure in Shared Services Avoid Common Pitfalls Through Transition Management North American Universities by Maturity The Challenge of Changing from a Control-Oriented Culture to a Customer-Oriented Culture in a Public University Environment If you are part of the public sector, and want to drive improvements through your organization, be sure to stay ahead on shared services strategies: find out who is leading at Shared Services & Process Improvement for Higher Education, Healthcare and Government, in the US; or the Public Sector Transformation Forum in Australia – both running in November. Also, don't miss the UK's Procurement Transformation Summit – this is where a lot of attention will be focussed in the future.

Day 13 and the US Government is Still Closed, but Shared Services is Carrying On...

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