Background
The client is a major, global industrial group with head offices in Sweden. For a number of years the client has been reviewing the support provided by the financial function to the organization’s operation, focusing on the quality and costs. As a part of this project, a preliminary study was initiated during the spring of 2004 to evaluate the potential for expanding the group’s Shared Service Center concept and for outsourcing certain functions. Preera was commissioned to provide support to the group in this project.

Assignment
The initial stage of the assignment was to conduct an evaluation of the potential for expanding the group’s Shared Service Center concept. The next stage was to supervise the project by defining joint global processes.

Implementation
The preliminary study, performed in 2004, revealed tremendous potential for standardizing processes and systems, for redefining certain roles and centralizing the processing of financial transactions. During the spring of 2005, a project was therefore established with the specific aim of defining the joint, global processes and of firmly consolidating them within the organization. Parallel to this project, potential outsourcing suppliers were identified and evaluated. During autumn 2005, experts skilled in the group’s processes, a total of 70 people appointed by local companies and group functions, were split into five process teams. Working in workshop models, these teams were assigned to produce a comprehensive proposal for new processes in the forms of process maps and oral presentations. This project was led by Preera.

Effects
The new common processes will form the prerequisites for standardized global working methods and enable significant rationalization. Because of the high level of participation in the project to develop the processes, the requisite motivation was created to ensure the progress of the work and overall acceptance of the proposed solutions within the entire global organization. Moreover, the working methods gave all the participants the opportunity to enhance their skills.