Opening an operations or shared services center in Costa Rica involves legal, real estate, technology and talent decisions that move in parallel. Treating it as a program, with workstreams, dependencies and clear governance, reduces the risk that a single bottleneck delays the entire operation.
The program workstreams
- Legal and regulatory: incorporation of the entity, the regime it will operate under and the required permits.
- Facilities: site selection, design, construction or fit-out of the offices.
- Contracts and vendors: technology, security, food, transportation and maintenance services.
- Technology: connectivity, equipment, access and business continuity.
- Talent: organizational structure, recruiting, hiring and onboarding of the first teams.
- Service transition: which processes move, in what order and with what stabilization criteria.
The dependencies that weigh the most
The schedule usually depends on a few critical paths: legal clearance, availability of the space and hiring the first leaders. Identifying them early makes it possible to decide what to bring forward and what can run in parallel.
Recommended governance
A steering committee with headquarters, a program lead with the authority to coordinate the workstreams and a single dashboard with milestones, risks and pending decisions.
Important
This guide is program management guidance. Legal, tax and immigration matters must be validated with specialized advisors and the relevant institutions.