Project Summary

Client: BC Hydro

Project: Governance Structure Reorganization

Situation

To effectively manage its outsourcing relationship with Accenture Business Services of BC (ABSBC), BC Hydro maintains a cross-functional governance team. As the relationship and contract between the parties evolved, it became increasingly clear that this governance structure needed to be re-visited to ensure that it had evolved with the relationship, that it was aligned with the ABSBC organizational structure and that roles and responsibilities of those within the team were made as clear as possible.

Goal

To ensure that an effective governance structure was in place to drive maximum efficiency and effectiveness for BC Hydro in the management of the outsourcing relationship.

Activities

We started by comprehensively studying the organization and the key touch points between the two parties. We also reviewed ABSBC’s operating model and undertook a complete review and analysis of tasks involved in governing this complex relationship. From that analysis, we developed a revised governance structure that included a more formal role for more senior-level decision makers in the organization, that re-organized responsibilities between those involved in the governance team, that created clear definitions of roles and responsibilities for different team members and that provided guidance for governance team members in terms of the frequency and type of formal contact that would be appropriate in the management of the relationship.

Results

The governance team has become more effective as a result of the changes. Confusion as to responsibilities has been considerably lessened both due to the reorganization and to the clearer definitions. The participation of more senior-level decision makers has also in many cases allowed decisions to be made in a more timely manner. Training of new team members has also become considerably easier since the changes were put in place.