Process optimization became a common practice for vast majority of market oriented companies. However, the focus on supporting services generally starts only after the potential for savings by optimizing the core activities is fully utilized. Emerging trend of passed ten years represents shared services centres, which in fact comprise both of the above components and together with offshoring offer more important cost savings.
The aim of the thesis was to prepare a comprehensive material representing a complex overview of the process optimization activities and describe shared services centre as a special option of the optimization that allows maximization of the benefits from optimizing supporting services. The problem, which is being addressed in the thesis, should answer the question if the selection criteria of an optimization project have been influenced by the financial crisis and what is now different.
The thesis is in the theoretical part presenting key optimization methods, process mapping techniques as well as recent trends in the optimization and shared service centres area. The market has been importantly impacted by the financial crises and companies re-focus on cost-optimization projects. However, acquiring financial resources became more difficult, which results in the fact that the priority is given to projects which do not require important initial investment and bring cost saving benefits relatively soon. A special attention is dedicated to presenting a clear method for differentiation of supporting services.
In the second part is presented an optimization project in a complex and structured way offering a practical guidance of the respective phases, activities performed and pitfalls that may arise in technical or managing aspect of the project. The aim is to present these problematic areas together with measures how to prevent them. For each of the project phases are presented key activities, tools and methods that should mainly contribute to clear idea regarding time and resource planning for process optimization project.
The main contribution of the thesis is that it represents a structured material that could be used by management of the company while considering and planning process optimization project. The topic is also presented in a complex way covering both theoretical and practical side of the optimization activities and shared service centres, which is generally not the approach of the authors that either focus on a particular optimization method, project management or theoretical basis of the optimization. |