Category: Smart Communities

There are some success stories out there when it comes to shared services. The province of Ontario is frequently held up as a shining example of how to do shared services right.

Several state governments in Australia have attempted, with varying degrees of success, to implement shared services. In the past few years, the Australian media has reported extensively on their struggles: budgets blown, systems operating inefficiently, payroll debacles, and rumours of corruption in agencies.

As the concept of shared services grows ever more popular in organizations across the globe, their usefulness has become a point of contention for some critics. Shared services have seen success in some areas – Ontario and New Brunswick, for example – but in others, they have been less than effective.

Some public servants are tired of being told to do more with less while waiting to see whose job is eliminated. Others are inspired to provide better service while cutting costs.

Ontario was one of the first and most successful at implementing shared services. Started in 1998, the province is realizing its mission “to drive in efficiencies and drive out costs.”

'Get better and cut costs' is the mandate of New Brunswick Internal Services Agency, says Byron James, Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Public Service. It's a more positive and motivating motto than the traditional 'do more with less.'

Shared Services Canada (SSC) was created on August 4, 2011, to streamline, standardize and transform the government of Canada’s IT infrastructure services to deliver a digital platform for the federal government of the future – one that is modern, reliable, secure, and provided at a reduced cost.