Today’s guest post is from John Shaw (Senior Director, Adoption Services) of BravoSolution, a leading provider of spend analysis, (e-)sourcing, supplier performance management (SPM) and healthcare sourcing solutions and a sponsor of Sourcing Innovation (SI). It is the eighth and final part of an eight (8) part series, which forms a white-paper that BravoSolution is releasing to the general populace today.
Yesterday’s post (Part VII) provided a case study that describes typical challenges faced by a national provider of construction materials. In the case study, a 30,000-foot view might also show positive progression even though only 23% of forecasted spend is being sourced through the system and four (4) users have an average event size that is significantly lower than expected value.
Today’s post completes the series on High Definition Adoption Management by reviewing some best practices for implementation.
From 30,000 feet to Detail:
Best-of-Breed Sourcing isn’t conceptually all that much different then Best-of-Breed software adoption programs. A competent Sourcing Professional knows that an organization doesn’t operate based upon negotiated savings, but upon realized savings. It isn’t until an agreement is implemented and adopted by an organization that the contract yields value to the organization.
The same is true with the tools and process that you select for your sourcing team. The path to success lies in how your team adopts those tools and processes.
Whether you are managing a contract or managing an e-Sourcing implementation you can be infinitely more effective if you understand how it is being utilized by the organization.
If you are starting your journey towards understanding adoption in your organization, start at 30,000 feet. Stop, ask questions, find your initial opportunities and keep digging deeper. Adoption measurement is a journey and the end measurements tend to be different for every organization.
Don’t get lost in the woods!
Remember your business case. Yes, it will naturally evolve over time and those changes will need to be managed and communicated. Overall, it should serve as a compass for helping your Adoption Team navigate your organization, keeping them on track in guiding your organization towards superior performance.
Discuss, Commit and Revisit
Share your data, open a discussion with Category managers on what make sense for measurement in their Category and get a commitment from then on their targets. Make tool usage metrics a regular part of your team communications so the team knows it will remain a priority within the organization.
Now that the series is complete, please show your appreciation for this first-look by downloading the white-paper through this link or the big orange download button below. This will help to ensure that SI is able to bring you more educational pieces on a first-look basis in the future. Thank you.
