| SUMMARY The
State Department teamed with RGS to evaluate options for rightsizing
its overseas presence as mandated by President Bush in the President's
Management Agenda (PMA). The team, made up of RGS associates and State
representatives from around the globe, generated and evaluated ideas
for reducing the footprint of State Department staff abroad, eventually
focusing on options for the feasibility of consolidating its management
support services into a shared services model and domestic support to
Embassy Baghdad.
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
The
State Department faces unprecedented demands on its diplomatic mission,
while simultaneously needing to reduce unnecessary risk to citizens
abroad and maximizing its fiscal resources. The President's Management
Agenda, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General
Accounting Office (GAO) believe that the State Department can address
these challenges through rightsizing its staffing model and taking
advantage of economies of scale achieved by consolidating services that
do not "need" to be performed in country.
HOW RGS HELPED
In
Phase I of our project, RGS facilitated an "out of the box"
brainstorming process evaluating how the State Department conducts its
business operations and the possibilities for rightsizing. RGS and
State Department personnel identified shared services as a way to meet
its rightsizing objectives while permanently reducing its cost
structure and standardizing its business processes. RGS helped identify
pilot activities that incorporated the shared services concepts to
support Embassy Baghdad which was staffing up at the time.
During
Phase II, RGS conducted a feasibility study for consolidating
management support services at the Department of State into a shared
services organization. The study included:
cost benefit analysis and projected ROI
evaluation of regional service center locations
organizational and cultural challenges associated with such a transformation
success criteria for shared services at state
high-level organizational design for regional support centers
quality management requirements and approaches
communications plan and strategy
expected qualitative and quantitative benefits
BENEFITS DELIVERED
Orientation
and in-processing for staff transiting to Embassy Baghdad is now
conducted domestically, out of harms way as a result of this project.
This focused pilot into shared services has also allowed process
improvements that have reduced in-processing orientation time from six
days to one. Embassy staff now arrive in country, ready to go to work.
Globally, the Department of State is armed with the information and
options its needs to make the best business decision possible regarding
rightsizing and shared services. |
