Procurement Trend #23. e-Procurement System Adoption

Twenty anti-trends still remain. As much as we’d like this series to end so that LOLCat can come out of hiding, this insanity has to stop. We have to shine the light on all these half-truths and lies and put an end to them once and for all. We will continue until each one is laid bare in the hopes that the backwater futurists crawl back into the muck from once they sprang and leave us alone to push forward.

So why do so many historians keep pegging e-Procurement System Adoption as a future trend? Besides brain cell inactivity, there are a few reasons, but among the top three are:

  • e-Procurement is still “new” in business software terms
    it’s only been around for approximately 15 years, and the sad reality is that, to many of these self-proclaimed futurists who just crawled out of the MRP cave, it’s new to them (so it must be new to you, right?)
  • most systems are limited to catalogs or punch-outs
    and users can only buy from a fixed, limited set of products that exist in the organizations catalogs or on sites that support the proper punch out technology
  • most systems are limited to a select group of users in the organization
    when they should be in the hands of everyone who needs to make a requisition or purchase on behalf of the organization

e-Procurement is Still “New”

Fifteen (15) years might be new in business terms, but given the rate of change we are all accustomed with as a result of the internet age, it’s not new at all. In fact, it’s ancient! With this metric, you’re still calling on analog cell phones while the rest of the world is on digital smart phones that can call, text, and video conference. Get the picture? (Oh, wait, you don’t have picture capability. Sorry!)

Catalogs or Punch-Outs are the Norm

Catalogs are good, punch-outs are better, but as SI explained in its B2B 3.0 Series way back in 2008, virtual, integrated marketplaces, which were available then, are better still! Read the classic series for more info:

Usage is Limited

This is usually because poor processes and policies limited rollout to “key” individuals, but often because people didn’t want to use ugly, clumsy systems that didn’t even accomplish their basic function. The answer is a modern e-Procurement system that is easy to roll-out organization wide, easier to use, and does what it is supposed to do. There might have been only two options 15 years ago. But now you probably have a dozen that would work. So get one!