Making it happen are two unique individuals who have years of experience working with IT, but also an innate understanding of what makes shared services a reality. John MacMillan, chief information officer, and his boss, Sharon Minnich, secretary of the Office of Administration, have their work cut out for them. But they also have a partnership that has resulted in a laudable plan to reduce disparities across the enterprise, from project development to delivering services, while driving down costs.
“One of the things that has made this initiative successful is the working relationship that John and I have,” said Minnich. “John’s background in both the public and private sector has helped us understand strategically where we want to go. It’s a partnership that has really allowed us to collaborate in terms of strategies and execution.”
When it comes to shared services, knowledge about technology is just a piece of what is needed for success. Talk to the experts and they will tell you that ultimately it requires top-notch communication skills, as well as organizational and management acumen. Minnich praises MacMillan for his skills at communicating and managing at both the strategic and operational level to keep the effort on track. MacMillan is just as grateful for Minnich’s ability to use the support of the governor to keep the initiative moving in the right direction, to manage the naysayers and to keep everyone focused on what’s good for the enterprise.
