Article
Supply chains need decision speed, not just visibility
How network design, inventory strategy and digital control systems can turn supply-chain data into faster operational action.
Create shared services that gain scale without turning internal service delivery into a distant layer of process and handoffs
We connect service economics, process standardization and business needs to determine what should be centralized, distributed or retained locally.
Shared services can reduce duplication and improve consistency, but centralization alone does not create a better operating model. Services can become slower, less accountable or overly standardized when activities are moved without redesigning processes, interfaces and governance. Global business services requires a clearer view of which work benefits from scale, which needs proximity to the business and where automation or centers of expertise change the model entirely. The objective is to create a service architecture that improves cost and capability while preserving responsiveness and clear ownership of outcomes.
Focus
Shared services work when scale does not come at the expense of business relevance
The model must balance standardization, service economics and accountability across activities moved away from individual business units.
Read nowStrategic Challenges
Which activities genuinely benefit from shared delivery at scale?
The challenge is separating repeatable work suited to common delivery from activities where proximity and business judgment remain essential.
Read nowStrategic Impacts
A clear shared-services model improves consistency and scale across common work
Defined scope, service levels and ownership help centralize activities without losing accountability for business outcomes.
Read nowObserved Patterns
Shared-service programs often centralize work before standardizing the process
Moving fragmented activity into one location can concentrate complexity rather than remove it, leaving service and cost problems intact.
Read nowStrategic Challenges
Which activities genuinely benefit from shared delivery at scale?
The challenge is separating repeatable work suited to common delivery from activities where proximity and business judgment remain essential.
Read nowStrategic Impacts
A clear shared-services model improves consistency and scale across common work
Defined scope, service levels and ownership help centralize activities without losing accountability for business outcomes.
Read nowObserved Patterns
Shared-service programs often centralize work before standardizing the process
Moving fragmented activity into one location can concentrate complexity rather than remove it, leaving service and cost problems intact.
Read nowPOV
Centralization is not transformation
Shared services create value only when work is simplified, standardized and governed differently, not merely moved somewhere else.
Read nowOur approach
Design service delivery around scale, complexity and business proximity before deciding which activities should move into shared services
Our approach begins by mapping services, demand, cost and current delivery models across functions and geographies. We segment activities according to standardization potential, business proximity, expertise requirements and automation opportunity and assess which belong in shared services, global hubs, centers of excellence or local teams. We then define the service model, governance, interfaces, performance measures and transition sequence. Economics are tested alongside service quality and capability effects, ensuring consolidation removes duplication without creating new coordination layers or weakening accountability for business outcomes.
The data and estimates presented are indicative and intended for illustrative purposes. Actual outcomes may vary based on each company’s specific context, market conditions, operating model, implementation choices, and the quality and consistency of execution, including actions undertaken by the client.
Keypillars
Explore the key pillars that define this capability and shape how we create focused, measurable business impact.
Service architecture
Defines which activities should be centralized, standardized, localized, or retained within functions across a shared-services model
Delivery governance
Clarifies ownership, service levels, funding, escalation, and performance management across shared-service and business interfaces
Scale efficiency
Uses common processes, technology, data, and specialist capabilities to reduce duplication while preserving required service differentiation
Are shared services reducing enterprise complexity, or simply concentrating it in another organization?
Get in touch with our Shared services and global business services team to define service scope, operating models, governance and delivery structures.
Get in touchStrategic Framework
Explore our Strategic Framework
Explore our strategic framework applied to page_title and discover which model we apply to help you achieve your goals and objectives.
Discover our framework01. Map services
Assess activities, volumes, locations, costs, service levels, capabilities, and ownership across support functions
06. Manage performance
Track service, cost, productivity, customer experience, automation, and continuous improvement across GBS
05. Transition services
Sequence migrations, standardization, automation, knowledge transfer, and workforce changes while maintaining continuity
02. Segment work
Determine which activities should remain local, centralize, standardize, automate, outsource, or move to GBS
03. Design model
Define service portfolio, locations, organization, governance, sourcing, technology, and business interfaces
04. Set economics
Establish service costing, charging, productivity, staffing, investment, and performance logic for the model
How we help
Design shared services and GBS models that improve scale and capability while preserving service quality and accountability to the business
We provide shared-services and global-business-services design across functions, processes and geographies. The work can include service segmentation, location and delivery models, centers of excellence, governance, service management, automation opportunities and transition roadmaps. Outputs clarify which activities should be centralized or distributed, how service ownership and interfaces should work and where consolidation can improve cost, consistency and capability without creating distance, handoffs or loss of responsiveness.
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Shared services strategy
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Global business services strategy
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Shared services operating model
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GBS operating model
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Shared services scope assessment
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Service portfolio design
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Global process ownership
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Shared services location strategy
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Captive versus outsourced assessment
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GBS sourcing strategy
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Finance shared services
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HR shared services
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Procurement shared services
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IT shared services
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Customer operations shared services
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Shared services process standardization
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Shared services automation
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Shared services transition planning
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Service migration management
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Service-level framework
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Service catalog design
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GBS performance management
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Shared services cost model
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Shared services governance
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GBS transformation roadmap
Explore our FAQs
Find answers to the most common questions about this service, including key features, processes, and practical considerations. Explore our FAQs for additional insights and guidance.
Centralize repeatable activities where scale, standardization and specialized capability outweigh the benefits of local ownership.
Global business services typically coordinates multiple functions under common governance rather than centralizing one function at a time.
Highly judgment-based or market-specific processes may lose effectiveness when centralized without sufficient contextual knowledge.
Set measurable expectations for quality, timeliness and resolution based on business need rather than internal convenience.
Weak process standardization, unclear accountability and poor interfaces with business units can offset expected scale benefits.
Assess talent, cost, language, resilience, regulation and proximity to supported operations rather than labor cost alone.
When service quality, cost or business responsiveness no longer justify the current scope, structure or location footprint.
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Editorial overview
Articles
Supply chains need decision speed, not just visibility
How network design, inventory strategy and digital control systems can turn supply-chain data into faster operational action.
Read articleThe next productivity frontier is end-to-end flow
How integrated planning, process intelligence and operational management systems can unlock productivity beyond local efficiency programs.
Read articleFocus
Service operations depend on how work moves across people, systems and queues
Performance reflects demand variability, case complexity, handoffs and the ability to resolve work without unnecessary escalation.
Category strategy turns procurement spend into a set of deliberate market choices
Supplier markets, demand patterns and business requirements determine where consolidation, competition or partnership creates value.
Strategic challenges
Which categories deserve a different sourcing and supplier model?
The challenge is distinguishing categories by economics, risk and strategic importance rather than managing all spend the same way.
Which suppliers should be competed, developed, protected or replaced?
The challenge is segmenting relationships by strategic importance and dependency rather than treating every supplier through one governance model.