In today's federal landscape there is no question that the shared service marketplace has the attention of senior federal executives. They are learning the lessons of the efforts underway. The lessons learned today will be the policies of tomorrow.
Until that day arrives, potential customer agencies of shared services can view examples of successes resulting in cost savings, reallocation of resources to mission, and quality improvements in service delivery. They can be found in many countries as well as in the United States—and often at the state level. So too can the failures. Taking to heart the areas of governance, project, and change management will provide customers of shared services a platform for success.