How ALBs can benefit from embracing the shared service change
Terri Williams
Head of Sector – Central Government, Civiteq
Terri leads the Central Government team at Civiteq. Drawing on almost 30 years of experience in technology-enablement and cloud-enabled transformations that enhance organisational performance, Terri is passionate about empowering organisations to assimilate new technologies and skills. Terri's wealth of experience comes from her time working a range of sectors including central government, for both vendors and consultancies.
For Arm’s Length Bodies, the transition to a shared service platform doesn’t have to be daunting, if they take the right steps now to get ready for the change.
Why the Government Shared Services Strategy is a mechanism for change
The Government Shared Services Strategy (GSSS) was launched to modernise and unify back-office functions across government departments and Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) by implementing shared Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
As part of the GSSS, departments and ALBs are organised into five shared service centres, known as ‘clusters’: Matrix, Defence, Overseas, Synergy and Unity.
Each cluster operates on its own timeline for ERP implementation, with Ministerial departments and some ALBs transitioning first, with other ALBs moving at a later date (some ALBs aren’t due to move to a shared service until beyond 2028).
Meanwhile, many HR, finance, payroll and procurement systems currently in place in ALBs are fast running out of contracted support or aren’t fit for purpose in today’s world.
So, if your ALB has an ageing on-premises system, you may need to make changes now as an interim and/or stepping stone to your eventual GSSS transition. Otherwise, you may have to wait until the next decade for your allocated phase.
Or, if you’re an early mover, now is the time to make sure your people, processes and technology are ready for the upcoming change. By preparing now, you’ll be in a strong position to smoothly transition to the shared service and access all the benefits of the change.
How to get started on your change journey as an ALB
You have three options to consider now, which the right partner can help with:
1. Optimise your current ERP/HCM
This will support you to ‘mend and make do’ with your current ERP/HCM system until you move to the shared service.
It’s ideal when you want to:
Identify opportunities to improve your processes, data and performance
Understand opportunities to leverage functionality you’ve already bought
2. Unlock a better-fit interim solution
You might need to implement an interim solution because your current one isn’t fit for purpose and can’t be optimised.
It’s suitable when you want to:
Identify opportunities to improve your processes, data and performance
Understand your interim solution options
Make the business case for investment
Get support with procurement
3. Get ready for a shared service
If you’re assigned to an earlier phase of the GSSS, this option will get you ready for transition, supporting you from preparation through to implementation.
It’s ideal when you want to:
Prepare your data and your people for change
Understand your security architecture
Get ready to close existing contracts
Understand the priorities to support process alignment
How Civiteq is helping government departments and ALBs
At Civiteq we have experience in supporting hundreds of public sector organisations with their change and ERP transformation programmes.
One of our projects saw us engaged by senior HR leaders at a government agency to provide an independent view on the ERP solution selected from a previous procurement. They wanted to understand whether the decision – made before our engagement – was still the right one, given changes at the agency. We delivered an options appraisal that allowed the agency to positively move forward with its ERP journey.
In another project, Civiteq played a key role in a ministerial department’s preparations for their move to a shared service. Our work – which included assessing current processes, identifying benefits, cyber security support and data strategy – put the department in a strong position for change.
