Castlerigg Consulting :: archived news

In Summer 2009 Castlerigg Consulting helped four Cumbrian local authorities pull together their knowledge and documentation of successful shared services into a ‘how to’ toolkit for shared services and combine this with our own knowledge and thinking to create a flexible, scalable tool which they can add to over time. Commissioned by the Cumbria Improvement and Efficiency Partnership this toolkit can be accessed by clicking here. The toolkit is best viewed in ‘show’ format in order to access the interactive links to documents, websites and tools.

A case study was also produced which provides a candid, honest appraisal of the successes and challenges faced when developing a shared service programme. There were four factors identified for developing successful shared services: A strong, long term partnership built on good, honest relationships across management teams and politicians. A clarity of purpose – if there was less efficiencies but more resilience would the authorities really still be interested? A sense of urgency – do the top team really feel fired up about this programme and if so can they dedicate real time and energy to it? And finally a focus on people – understanding the impact on staff and managing this from the outset – everything from using the Unions as a business partner at the table to the early harmonisation of terms and conditions and the assimilation of jobs to the new structures – this is 70% of the task, can be 100% of the problems, and has to be top of the ‘to do list’ from day one. This Case Study is also available on the Cumbria Improvement and Efficiency Partnership website by clicking here.