Myth-busting 2025 2015 Procurement Predictions and Trends! Part 1

The ambitious starting pumping these out late November / early December because, apparently, everyone wants to be first … to say almost the same thing they said last year (and the year before that … and the year before that … ) because, if they just keep making the same prediction, it will eventually come true … right?

However, just like the primary conference topics haven’t changed much in the last decade (and, as we pointed out earlier last year, just check out our 2014 series on The “Future” of Procurement and “Future” Trends and you’ll notice the topics are 90% the same as what were discussed last year … it’s only the current “hype” cycle technologies that change), neither have the predictions. the doctor reviewed 71 predictions / trends across 8 articles, and they neatly fell into 10 topic areas, with vary little differentiation between them. 9 of these were hot a decade ago. Heck, these 9 were being hailed as the core/future of Procurement two decades ago! The only difference is that the top prediction/trend just replaced one technology for another.

To make it abundantly clear how nothing has changed in the prediction world, and how very little is going to change in the Procurement world, we’re going to take the major predictions one-by-one and inject a little harsh reality. Often the dream is very nice, and sometimes the dream should be the reality, but, as we know, what “should be” and what “is” are often two very different situations! And no amount of wishing shall make the two meet. (Only hard work can do that!)

If you want to dive deep, the first 2025 prediction/trend articles that the doctor found are the following eight:

And the predictions they deliver fall into the following 10 categories:

  • AI
  • Category Management
  • Cost vs. Value
  • Data
  • Risk & Compliance
  • Strategic Value
  • Sustainability
  • Supplier Management
  • Talent
  • Technology & Digital Transformation

And if you simply replace “AI” with “Analytics”, you can go and dig up some classic articles on 2015 Procurement Predictions and Trends and realize what you read 10 years ago isn’t that much different than what is being pushed today. After all, it’s likely that the newer Procurement generation didn’t read any of it (and didn’t get any of it in training because there are no training budgets anymore) and it will all be new to them and, if you just change the buzzwords, it all sounds new, right? Right?

However, we’ll save you the trouble. We’ll summarize what the major predictions are, how accurate they are, and what will really happen in 2025. Remember, we’ve been around this space for 25 years and we know that the more they proclaim things will change …