Preparing and managing a move to a shared service
Written by Civiteq’s Principal Consultants, Neil Barnsley and James Illingworth
If you are one of many ALBs moving into a shared ERP cluster alongside major departments, the risk for you is not the technology itself, but loss of influence. Decisions made in the name of standardisation can marginalise smaller organisations unless they actively assert their requirements and constraints.
For senior leaders within an ALB, the transition demands more than compliance. It requires deliberate choices about where autonomy must be retained, where compromise is acceptable, and how the organisation continues to operate effectively within a shared service model.
In this blog, our Principal Consultants Neil Barnsley and James Illingworth set out how ALBs can prepare for and manage the change, while protecting what is essential to the organisation and its people.
The challenges of moving to a shared service
The Government Shared Services Strategy (GSSS) was introduced to modernise and consolidate back-office functions across government departments and ALBs by implementing shared Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
Whilst this approach promises efficiencies and consistency, it also introduces material risks for ALBs, including:
- Lack of clarity about what will change, when, and under whose authority
- Reduced control over processes, data, and service priorities
- Pressure to conform to departmental models that do not reflect ALB operating realities
- Complex legacy systems and deeply embedded processes that do not map cleanly to standard solutions
Left unmanaged, these risks could translate into loss of accountability, operational friction, and disengaged staff.
Treat this as a strategic issue, not an IT programme
A successful transition does not emerge organically. ALBs that will fare well, will treat shared ERP adoption as a strategic intervention, not a technology migration.
Leadership teams should take explicit positions on:
- Which of your processes, statutory obligations, and data requirements are unique and non-negotiable – and why?
- Your current ERP landscape and the defined future operating mode post-transition
- Where standardisation delivers genuine value, and where it creates risk or inefficiency
- Which assets, infrastructure, software licences and capabilities remain locally owned versus centrally provided
- How your workforce impacts are managed without adding avoidable disruption or uncertainty
- How your decision rights are retained and exercised within the shared service governance model
Without this clarity, your ALB will default into decisions made elsewhere.
Why protecting ALB identity matters
Maintaining organisational identity within a shared programme is not cultural vanity. It is operational necessity.
ALBs that articulate their position clearly:
- Align senior leadership and operational teams around a shared understanding of outcomes
- Reduce resistance and fatigue by explaining what will change and what will not
- Enter the shared ERP environment with defined boundaries, accountabilities, and expectation
This will position your organisation as a participant with agency, not a passive recipient.
The role of an expert support partner
For many ALBs, the constraint is not intent but capacity. Transformation activity competes directly with delivery obligations.
An experienced partner can bring focus and structure by:
- Mapping your ALB specific priorities against the shared ERP model and constraints
- Defining a realistic implementation and adoption approach
- Identifying risks early and putting mitigations in place before they crystallise
- Conducting readiness assessments across governance, data, and technology
- Designing migration plans that limit operational disruption
- Targeting change where it delivers value, such as self-service, process simplification, and automation
- Supporting your organisation to articulate and defend its operating requirements
The objective is not resistance to shared services, but informed participation.
Getting shared service adoption right
At Civiteq, our ERP and enterprise architecture specialists support ALBs to enter shared service programmes with clarity, confidence, and control.
We work with organisations to define their position early, engage constructively with central programmes, and move to shared services without surrendering accountability or operational integrity.
Explore our recent work supporting a government department preparing for its shared ERP transition.
Get in touch or book a meeting with our Account Manager, Tom Roseveare, to discuss your requirements.