In our series of Center of Excellence Part 1, we explore the notion of whether they are a must-have or nice to have. In today’s Part 2 of the Center of Excellence series; we will explore what does it takes to set up one within today’s organization to realize the benefits.

1. Appoint/elect a Sponsor at the Senior Leadership level who will have the authority, budget, and passion to see things through.

For the Center of Excellence (CoE) to function well, you will need Executive Leadership support to ensure that a clear direction, authority, and support are given to get things done.

2. Assemble a strong team with the right attitude and learning mindset.

Picking the relevant team members to be part of the Center of Excellence is critical at the onset. The various roles that one should consider within the Center of Excellence include the following:

• Chairperson. Typically, this role will focus on providing thought leadership in the direction of the Center of Excellence.  He/she would need to lead the CoE to ensure its function and decision-making are done in a timely and effective manner.
• Secretary. This role assists the Chairperson and other functional leaders to ensure that meetings are well organized.
• Cybersecurity. This role ensures the organization complies with the security standards, controls, and operating procedures in safeguarding how things operate on a daily basis.
• Legal Counsel. The role looks at all the legal and regulatory issues on how the CoE operates including local in-country and international laws and regulations.  These may include but are not limited to:
  • Personal Data Protection Act
  • Central Bank Governance and Laws
  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) from EU
  • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) from US
  • Health Insurance Information Portability and Accountability (HIPPA) Act
  • Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS)
  • Intellectual Property and Copyrights Act
• Subject Matter Experts. This role provides technical expertise about the specific technology ties to the Center of Excellence supports.  Typically you will have individuals who are specialists with some years of experience and perhaps certification.
• Line of Business Leaders. This role provides expertise on how a specific line of business operates. It is important to have individuals who are familiar with how the business works “as is” and will be able to drive the change “to be” aligned with the Center of Excellence’s strategic direction.
• Change Agents. This role actively promotes how the Center of Excellence guides, supports, and enables individuals and teams within the organization itself.  An active learner and focus on helping others to align with the Center of Excellence itself.  It is important the Change Agents be the “go-to” person / focal point for other team members within the organization and reference and/or re-direction to the Center of Excellence as required.
• Governance/Internal Audit. This role will look at how the Center of Excellence can establish controls at key process checkpoints to ensure compliance throughout the life cycle.  As all organizations are required to comply with local and international laws and regulations, the role will be mandatory per se.
• IT Experts. This role will ensure that the ICT ecosystem is well supported.  Any new technology introduced must consider the need for integration, supportability and ease of use.

3. Define clear design principles and best practices that the organization will adhere to.

Dos and Don’ts, clear design principles and best practices provide clear guidelines on what is acceptable and what is NOT acceptable; what works best and what to avoid.

4. Define roadmap, goals, and success criteria.

A clear maturity road map with the Center of Excellence must align with the strategic goals and define what success criteria are.  Such items will serve as a “North Star” on how it is aligned to business strategy and requirements.

5. Define Governance structure and relevant control process in place.

A clear structure on how the Center of Excellence gets to “oversee” business and support operations that are aligned and monitor its alignment to business goals.

6. Establish a Process Management architecture.

This includes the processes that will be managed by the Center of Excellence.

7. Adopt a relevant framework (as required) to help with adoption and implementation.

Ensuring the Center of Excellence adopts and rolls out a framework ensures that best practices can be implemented throughout the organization.  Again, different Center of Excellence which focus on different technologies/areas will look at different frameworks.  Examples include Big Data Framework, Service Automation Framework, and others.

8. Setup Process Management Library and Repository.

Having a proper repository will serve everyone in the organization and the Center of Excellence on where to locate the processes and documentation itself.

9. Review Process Inventory Regularly.

Conduct regular inventory checks and understand what is out there to ensure proper coverage.

10. Provide Thought Leadership and Direction.

A Center of Excellence should lead the area of focus and establishment and adoption of best practices where possible.  The organization’s aspiration and alignment with business are key.

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Please remember to customize your approach when establishing your Center of Excellence to fit your business needs as everyone will be different.  Interested in finding out more about the establishment of a Center of Excellence? Reach out to Cybiant’s consultants by dropping a quick e-mail at info@cybiant.com to us.

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