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Managing Agency Goals & Objectives

Leading, influencing and advising your Agency’s Shared Service efforts across all major lines of business is a full contact sport. You will need to hone your coaching and mentorship skills to adjust to the unique needs of each operational area. Be mindful that you hold no direct authority over their responsibilities. You must be recognized and welcomed as a valued, aligned, and supportive resource assigned in helping others to attain their individual task and business process improvement goals.

Every agency has a unique combination of strategies, plans, and management directives requiring alignment with each line of business and their stated goals and objectives. Inspire them to commit to realistic and achievable goals for both task and process related modernization initiatives and be a guiding light for attainment.

Visibility is a great disinfectant. Insist on publishing Shared Service initiatives and commit to regular reviews of progress toward goals. Remember to publicly praise and recognize contributions from your teams while privately coaching on course corrections to get them back on track.

Key Questions
  1. What are the relevant goals and objectives in approved and/or published strategies, plans, roadmaps, and similar documents?
  2. Who are the agency stakeholders accepting responsibility for achieving their shared service goals?
  3. What are the associated milestones and metrics for determining progress towards system-related goals and objectives? How are they tracking performance and providing project visibility for each?
  4. Have I given every line of business an opportunity to reassess or establish goals and objectives that could be better-addressed by Shared Services (functional, technical, and performance)?
  5. Does the Agency support recognition and incentives for high performing lines of business?
Checklist

  • Compile inputs from each line of business and publicly state your Agency’s goals and objectives. Track your contacts and progress with the SAPOC Toolset here.

  • Establish a regular cadence of one or more shared service collaborative forums or working groups (which could be as simple as 30-minute standups for each line of business). 

  • Gain consensus on the Agency Shared Service goals and objectives (subordinate to the Agency’s overall goals and objectives). Track your contacts and progress with the SAPOC Toolset here.

  • Review, evaluate, and score each line of business on progress against their goals on an established cadence in agreement with each working group. Track your contacts and progress with the SAPOC Toolset here.

  • Consider collaborative development of a separate “Shared Service Scorecard” for both tasks and Shared Service-related system or process related improvements. Track your contacts and progress with the SAPOC Toolset here.

  • Book semi-annual or at least annual “Shared Service State of the Agency” conferences.

  • Envision and collaborate with Agency leadership on recognition and incentive programs tied to visible and objective score card results.

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