Many institutions rely on administrative “generalists” to support academic units across a variety of transactional business activities (e.g., processing payroll and new employee paperwork). Without central coordination of this work, business processes remain manual, complex, and undocumented, with wide variability from unit to unit.
Common shared services hurdle: Business process variability
Consolidating staff positions from across campus without standardizing the underlying work undercuts efficiency opportunities, as the same problems that plagued workflows in the previous structure have just moved to a different part of the organization.
This resource is part of the Ease the Transition to Shared Services with a Plan for Change Management Hurdles Roadmap. Access the Roadmap for stepwise guidance with additional tools and research.
Solution: Introduce process improvement at the outset of shared services planning
Campus leaders should facilitate opportunities for practitioners and subject-matter experts to design standard business processes alongside the shared services implementation, which has an additional benefit of inviting greater participation (and therefore buy-in) in the change process.
Shared services require untangling business processes
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Introduce shared services incrementally, rather than with a “big bang”
Read the ArticleAlternatively, institutions that simplify, standardize, and (where possible) automate business processes as part of shared services implementations have the best chance of long-term success. In fact, the most effective shared services implementations share a common characteristic: Leaders invest in untangling business processes in advance of or alongside organizational change, rather than assuming these processes were ready to consolidate as-is.
Consider the examples in the chart below. In each case, process improvement buoyed the shared services implementation. Leaders of these initiatives reported that, without deliberate process improvement, the shared services reorganization would have failed.
Business Process Untangled Alongside Shared Services Implementation
| Institution | Shared Services Implementation | Process Improvement Support |
| University of California, Davis | Single service center launched in 2012; 75 support staff and support 180 departments | Process standardized and streamlined in lead-up to SSC roll-out; ongoing process improvement |
| University of Kansas | From 2013-2016, five SSCs launched to support HR, finance, etc. | All processes reengineered and standardized; staff retrained as “new” employees |
| University of Michigan | One shared services center created in 2014 to support finance and HR with 280 staff | Every process brought into SSC is reengineered with the help of stakeholders and tech experts |
| Emory University | Nine shared service centers of 155 total staff launched from 2013-2016, across 1,000 staff | Two years of interviews and current- and future-state process mapping |
Campuses that focus on process improvement as part of the shared services implementation reap several benefits. First, inviting stakeholders to be a part of the solution by redesigning business processes and addressing common pain points is a tried-and-true method for winning over skeptics. Moreover, staff in both the shared services center and client units benefit from developing a process improvement mindset that can be deployed in all day-to-day tasks.
Bringing new processes to life
If old habits die hard, then old processes die even harder. For many staff—particularly those who have been at an institution for a long time—the workflow changes introduced by process improvement and shared services can feel revolutionary. If staff find a new process too cumbersome or different from what they are used to, they may revert to old ways. As a result, institutions should clarifying processes and responsibilities alongside organizational change.
The University of Kansas’ shared services team accomplished this task by creating “scope of services” guides for each process that changed during the shared services transition. Drawing on process maps drawn for each of these workflows, shared services leaders articulated the responsible party for each step (i.e., the unit, the shared services center, or the central office). They posted the scope of services guides on the University of Kansas’s shared services website for quick reference and maximum visibility.
You can also download copies of the guides here.
The example below shows the distribution of responsibilities for the new hire onboarding process.
University of Kansas’s Scope of Services Document for New Hire Onboarding
Onboarding Processes
- Obtain required items and identification for employment
- Orient new hires
- Ensure timely entry to payroll system and other campus access
Department Responsibility
- Check that new hire has completed onboarding
- Provide workspace, set-up, supplies, etc.
- Monitor notifications that new hire is active
SSC Responsibility
- Facilitate transition between recruitment and onboarding systems
- Initial orientation to campus
- Take photos and provide parking pass
Central HR Responsibility
- Finalize hire in the recruitment system
- Review background check outcome
- Key appointments into HR
- Staff benefits orientation
University of Kansas shared services leaders also created a series of short, on-demand training videos for some of the most complicated new processes. The videos walk through practical, nuts-and-bolts procedural issues for each process and are accompanied by online quizzes. The results indicate to management where staff might need more training or support for a specific process.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County also deployed process improvement in conjunction with a shared services implementation. As a final output during the transition to shared services, leaders created an accessible, searchable wiki called the Toolkit for Administrative Professionals, or TAP. TAP provides a “single version of the truth” for all UMBC administrative staff. Through this portal, staff can find detailed process maps for any process or activity. TAP links to online forms and provides reminders for those who are new to the process. TAP is also an interactive, living resource. Users provide commentary and questions in response to articles. A TAP training coordinator monitors this feedback, responds, and develops additional training resources where necessary. The snapshot below shows some of TAP’s most noteworthy features.
“Why would you want a shared services center if you’re not going to simplify and standardize the work that’s being done?”
Chief Financial Officer
Large Public University
Starting on the right foot with process improvement
In the private sector, shared services centers by design strive to continually refine and improve business processes. Higher education institutions have not always understood this fundamental capability, rushing to redesign org charts without understanding the underlying processes. Incorporating process improvement early in implementation reframes shared services as a vehicle for improving the work that happens on campus.
Interested in more on this topic?
Shared Services Primer
Shared services is a tried-and-true method for increasing the efficiency and quality of administrative service delivery, but shared services initiatives tend to evoke fears of layoffs, increased administrative burdens for faculty, and expensive consulting engagements with questionable returns. Use this resource to better understand shared services, take the readiness diagnostic, and look at example maturity models.
Ease the Transition to Shared Services with a Plan for Change Management Hurdles
Designing an organizational model that reflects campus priorities is an important first step in any shared services journey. But bringing this vision to life is more difficult than moving lines on an org chart. Learn how to craft a shared services implementation plan tailored to the culture of your campus.