Transforming BHP’s shared services into one global, digital partner

PwC brought to the table its philosophy of shared goals and outcomes, embedding in BHP’s business and culture in a way that allowed it to hit the ground running. Work began in 2021, and with a customised combination of industry know-how, proprietary tech and global perspective, the PwC team was able to leverage its existing skills, knowledge and alliances to scale change whenever and wherever required. That meant that when the time came to evolve the project and accelerate outcomes, the programme team was ready.

A programme team was formed across BHP and PwC and delivery squads included skills across digital, data, people and process domain knowledge. The ambition for the programme was always high and at the outset, a full potential view played an important part in forming the vision. The approach envisioned integrating strategy, digital transformation, and operational capabilities including process baselining & intelligence, automation, and data analytics into a unified GBS service offering.

As the project evolved, the scope expanded to encompass services such as risk and controls compliance, Service Management, SAP-related capabilities like testing, as well as change management and mergers and acquisitions.

In the past every process at BHP, from producing financial accounts to managing the supply chain process, had been carried out by separate functionally-led shared services teams. PwC’s E2E process-led and digital transformation approach was the foundation for connecting processes to break down silos, and remove bottlenecks to drive operational efficiency and effectiveness across the organisation.

The core approach leverages multiple techniques and solutions including data-driven process intelligence to identify opportunities. It then brings together an agile team handpicked to conduct sprints that drive productivity and transformation with precision and pace. A proven methodology then helps identify, design and deliver change. 

“PwC brought the best of culture, project management and data driven process intelligence capabilities”, says BHP’s Sundeep Singh. The team approach is collaborative and flexible, building solutions that are tailored to BHP’s system of work, people, culture, and technology. At a global level, E2E process transformation was used to diagnose process variation and identify waste reduction opportunities, creating a pipeline of improvement and an ongoing platform for accelerated delivery. This meant mapping processes from the perspective of the end user, and understanding what it feels like to execute, first-hand.

However, the transformation of GBS is not only about process change. It’s about upskilling to new ways of working, adopting new behaviours, and embedding a culture with digital skills to deliver data-led decisions.

Working together as a community of solvers, BHP and PwC created a ‘one team’ environment to solve together in real time. This meant engaging functional owners of the business and being clear on the scope and mandate for the project: the watchwords were continual collaboration and co-creation.

The project work began during the challenges of COVID-19, and combined with the reframing of work patterns that has followed, meant the majority of it was achieved virtually, with teams coming together from around the world. To map and diagnose process optimisation opportunities, the teams used deep data science and analytics, together with subject experts, delivery squads and shared agile teams to execute necessary process changes.

GBS’s transformation of BHP’s operations has already delivered game-changing improvements to the business and its bottom line. Key achievements include:

• $500 million (US) in value created through end-to-end process improvements, through improved operational efficiency and automation across various functions.
• 52% improvement in the global ‘requisition-to-onboard’ HR process, ensuring roles needed on-site are filled faster and more effectively, and minimising personnel-related production losses.
• Enhanced visibility and collaboration across BHP’s global operations, enabling faster decision-making and agility in responding to market changes.

The quality and impact of this transformation has also been recognised in industry, including at the 2024 SAP Best Run Awards for ANZ where it received the Business Transformation Award.

Systemising and documenting were key steps in ensuring the sustainability of GBS’s transformation. Playbooks provide in-depth information on how GBS delivers digital transformation, detailing roles, responsibilities, and the ‘wiring’ within them across people and areas of accountability, to mitigate risk.

Through this work, a new equation has been created for the organisation — connecting people, processes and data to reliably deliver and lift productivity thereby enabling customers across BHP to unlock their full potential.

The creation of a digital, connected GBS continues today as PwC seeks to expand BHP’s capabilities through continued collaboration, building on the foundation of trust and shared values they have co-created.

The managed services agreement was extended by two years in 2023, and will run until December 2028.