Development of a Shared Services System in Higher Ed

Use this brief to learn about shared services structure and implementation on campus, including examples of best practices from partner institutions.

Shared services systems consolidate administrative activities previously performed by decentralized staff members into a single centralized delivery point. At peak maturity, shared services units continually improve service levels and efficiency, driving toward greater simplification, automation, and accuracy of workflows based on customer feedback and data-driven management. To optimize the structure and implementation of shared services systems, consider including transactional functions in the shared services structure (e.g. payroll, procurement), investing in holistic evaluation methods, using a “lift and shift” staffing method, and creating detailed and proactive communication plans.