Studies show acceleration of digitalization through shared services

The acceleration of digitalization through shared services was examined and confirmed in two studies. Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) conducted these studies on behalf of the enterprise software manufacturer Unit4. The survey studies show that shared services improve the organization in the public sector, in the service industry and across the board in central business functions.

The studies on the acceleration of digitalization

In a shared service center, similar processes from different segments of a company come together. The central department serves to consolidate and centralize services. This form of organization is mainly found in public institutions and service companies.

In addition to cost savings, the goals are to improve performance, decision-making and agility. These are the findings of the studies "2023 State of the Digital Nation" and "Service Companies - Benchmark Report for 2023", which PAC conducted on behalf of Unit4.

The first study focuses on the progress of the digital transformation of public institutions in Canada, the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands since a previous study in 2021. For this study, PAC surveyed 300 employees from the public sector - in 2021, 600 people were surveyed, but the study also covered the USA, Belgium and Australia.

For the study "Service Companies - Benchmark Report for 2023", PAC surveyed business and technology executives at 400 companies in Europe and the USA. The companies surveyed have between 500 and 5,000 employees and operate in the fields of architecture, engineering, management consulting, IT services and financial services.

Results of the studies on accelerating digitalization

Almost half of the companies surveyed in the second study have centralized project management, customer service, sales and marketing with shared services.

One fifth of service companies will focus on optimizing project management, contract management and resource management over the next three years. Here too, shared services are to be integrated into the companies.

The CEO of Unit4, Mike Ettling, says: "Service providers adapt quickly and understand that shared services make them more resilient to market fluctuations. Medium-sized companies from other sectors can also set themselves apart from the competition with shared services." He considers the shared service model to be an excellent basis for implementing global delivery strategies.

In the DACH region - Germany, Austria and Switzerland - 77% of service companies already use shared services or have converted their project management to this organizational structure. According to PAC, the holistic overview of all data within their projects means that these companies outperform the competition when it comes to completing projects on time.

Project management is an important part of this success, as it is responsible for ensuring that shared services function within the projects. Within the shared service center, project management is therefore an additional central component without which the organization cannot function.

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Requirements engineering (requirements management) is an integral part of project management. It forms the basis for the successful implementation of projects. Accordingly, it is important when a company plans to merge processes centrally with shared services.

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