A strong governance framework that ensures accountability, cooperation and strategic direction is the cornerstone of a strong federal shared services marketplace. Such a framework was advocated in “Building a Shared Services Marketplace: Recommendations from the Shared Services Roundtable,” a report released in March 2015. 

Shared services operate in a complex environment that requires leadership to support and promote an integrated, enterprise governance framework among all actors, including central management agencies such as OMB and GSA, line-of-business managing partners, public and private providers, and customer agencies. 

Having a clear shared strategic vision and knowing who makes decisions, how they are made, and how performance is measured can build trust among all those involved, and make shared services a success across government. 

To expand on the report’s governance recommendation, members of the roundtable continued to interview shared services leaders, this time from both the public and private sectors, to learn how successful organizations make decisions. 

This guide is a first look at governance best practices from those discussions and describes the roles and responsibilities needed to apply those lessons in the federal government. Following these practices can help to sustain growth and mitigate risk across the shared services marketplace.

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