SI doesn’t do many top X lists, because not many are useful — but every now and again it’s informative to look at what is being read and ask why. In today’s post, we’ll summarize the top 11 posts from the first half of 2016. Then, in tomorrow’s post, we’ll discuss potential reasons as to why these are the top posts from the first half of 2016.

#11: How Do You Find the Right Platform for You?

In this post we proposed an introductory four step process that could be used to help an organization identify the right Supply Management platform(s) to help it in its operations. This followed our two-part series on “what is a platform”.

#10: Ditch the Pepsi Blues, Already: Become a Marketing Procurement Asset Part II

In part II of this 2-part guest-post from Brien Seipel of Source One he noted that the next step for a Procurement organization that did not want to be ditched was to realign priorities and put the “marketing” into marketing Procurement. What does this mean? Check out the series!

#09: Can Your Platform Handle Direct? Take the Direct Procurement Challenge!

In this post we discussed how the direct procurement lifecycle was considerably different from the classic indirect procurement lifecycle (which is, by the way, cost centric perfect for indirect), and that an organization that wanted to get a grip on direct needed to understand this. We also noted that for an organization to figure out what platform was right for it, it had to take the direct procurement challenge.

#08: Don’t Let Tail Spend Take You For a Tail-Spin!

Tail spend is starting to get attention, and by right it should as this bottom spend often contains an overspend as high as 30%! Getting rid of this overspend can be as effective as saving 7% on the top spend.

#07: How Does Your State of Flux Measure Up?

In this post we noted that, in many organizations, SRM — Supplier Relationship Management, is in a state of flux. Policies are undocumented. Processes are not automated. Critical interaction data is not captured. And the majority of your employees interacting with your suppliers on a daily basis cannot even identify five of your top ten strategic suppliers. (Finance might hazard a guess, but while dollars spent is an indicator, it’s not a guarantee.) Something has to be done.

#06: AI Will Not Save Procurement — Thought Leaders Will

In this post we noted that despite the fact that Procurement is at a crossroads, and despite grandiose claims to the contrary about the power of AI-powered predictive and prescriptive analytics, AI will not save Procurement. Better systems will make us more efficient and effective, and power our Procurement Value Engine, but they will never be able to make decisions for us. They never have all the data, they never see beyond the numbers, and they don’t have the insight to look beyond what they are given. Their proficiency might increase, but it will never be perfect … and automating your Procurement function with them will simply automate your way to failure.

#05: Ditch the Pepsi Blues, Already: Become a Marketing Procurement Asset Part I

In part I of this 2-part guest-post from Brien Seipel of Source One he noted that organizations don’t ditch marketing procurement, they ditch bad marketing procurement and if you’re organization wants to get Procurement spend under control, the only way to do so is to become an asset, not a roadblock.

#04: Driverless Delivery? Tantalizing Theft Target!

Everyone loves automation and everyone loves Google’s and promise to automate everything — but automating deliveries is simply automating theft. Don’t believe it? Read the post!

#03: the doctor doesn’t like lists either, but the 50/50 is as good as it gets

The title says it all — warts and all, the 50/50 is the best Supply Management Vendor List out there.

#02: Failure to Monitor a Supply Chain for Risk Can Tarnish Your Brand

Supply chains are fraught with risk, but the biggest risk of all is the brand impact from an unexpected supply chain disaster that can destroy the corporate bank account.

#01: Aligning Procurement Strategies to Business Goals, Part I

This guest post from Torey Guingrich of Source One talked about how to align Procurement strategies to business goals, a necessity for organizational success.