Alternative Names for an Anaplan Centers of Excellence
We all know what we mean when we talk about an Anaplan Center of Excellence, (if not, first review our Introduction to a Center of Excellence). However, like most things, there are as many variations of Anaplan Centers of Excellence as there are Anaplan customers. And among the many elements of a Center of Excellence that may vary from customer to customer, the name itself is often a significant sticking point.
One of the primary benefits of the Anaplan platform is that it can be entirely owned by the business users that depend on it without dependencies on an IT team for support, like most other enterprise platforms. That said, a Center of Excellence may be too reminiscent of these historical IT-owned applications; therefore cultural sensitivity is needed when naming your dedicated Anaplan team. Sensitivity in naming helps to ensure there is no confusion and that the group is owned and operated by the correct business function.
What follows is a brief sample of alternative names for your Center of Excellence that may assist you in determining that appropriate name for your dedicated group of Anaplan governance professionals.
Name
Pros
Cons
Shared Services Center
Aligns with centralized model focused on providing high-valued trained resources.
Very commonly used in Public Sector.
Implies tactical focus, lessens focus on governance/strategic planning.
Not well-known outside Public Sector.
Captive Center
Aligns with centralized model.
Typically associated with offshore capabilities and commodity services/cost-reduction.
Provide limited goals or value propositions.
Global Business Services / Multifunctional Shared Services
Strong associations to and recognition within Finance and HR functions.
Includes emphasis on business outcomes.
Limited association with something owned by IT.
May not alleviate sense of complexity typically associated with CoE.
Global Insourced Center / Global Shared Services Organization
Represents a more mature version of a Captive Center, including emphasis on strategic planning.
Aligns with centralized model focused on providing high-valued trained resources.
Most commonly known in the IT space.
Associated with cost-reduction activities.
Global Competency Center
Aligns with centralized model focused on providing high-valued trained resources.
Emphasis on non-commodity capabilities.
May not alleviate sense of complexity typically associated with CoE.
