Category Archives: X-Mas

On the Fifth day of X-Mas (2016)

On the fifth day of X-Mas
my blogger gave to me:
some SRM Posts
some CLM Posts
some Best Practice Posts
some Trend Bashing Posts
and some ranting on stupidity …

Supplier Relationship Management. It’s another mouthful. And depending on your mindset, it either sounds like it is the consultant fad of the day or just drinks after work. But it is a critical part of Supply Management. Without good supplier relationships, you’re leaving money on the table. Lots of it. Not only does poor supplier performance cost you in terms of stock-outs, quality, returns, etc., but it costs you in opportunity. High performing suppliers are often the best source of innovation and value an organization has, and the organizations that are treated as customers of choice by those suppliers reap the biggest benefits. Thus, SRM is critical to master and to get right. So here are a few good posts to help you understand SRM and the current state of affairs.

It’s 2016! Welcome Back to the Industrial Age of SRM!

SRM Case Studies Speak for Themselves

Is Your SRM Program Leaving Hundreds of Millions on the Table?

Want an Exceptional Supply Management System? Do NOT Forget the Supplier!

Forget SIM. The Real Answer is SIR.

Just What Is A Next Generation Supplier Network

SIM? Is It Old News or a Shiny New Pair of Shoes?
Part I
Part II

The Most Important Word In Supplier Relationship Management Is Not What You Think It Is

Why You Need a Master Data Strategy to Properly Do Supplier Information Management

Why is Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) Under-delivering?

How Do You Identify a Stellar Supplier?

Of course there is much more to be said on the topic, but this gets you started. And searching the archives will keep you going.

Come back tomorrow for the sixth day of X-Mas.

On the Fourth day of X-Mas (2016)

On the fourth day of X-Mas
my blogger gave to me:
some CLM Posts
some Best Practice Posts
some Trend Bashing Posts
and some ranting on stupidity …

Contract Lifecycle Management. It’s a mouthful. It sounds awfully boring. But if you do it poorly, you might as well just kiss 30% of your negotiated savings goodbye the minute you sign the contract. Poor execution against sourcing plans captured in contracts is the big reason why 30% to 40% of negotiated savings never materialize in an average organization so, if you want to win big, you have to manage the contract lifecycle right.

Why You Should NOT Build Your Own CLM … even though a high-school student with Microsoft Access can build a basic contract management system, a true contract lifecycle management system done right (and done right is the real caveat) takes a lot more work than you think …

Do You Have Your Platform and Process in Place? Be honest!

A series on CLM:

I: Do You Know What It Is?
II: Do You Know Where it Starts and Ends
III: Do You Know Where it Came From
IV: Neither Sourcing Nor Procurement Are Enough
V: Do You Know What The Must-Haves Are
VI: Do You Know What The Should-Haves Are
VII: Do You Know What The Nice-to-Haves Are?
VIII: Are You Ready for the Journey

The Strategic Category Management Lifecycle:

Getting it Right, Part I
Getting it Right, Part II
Getting it Right, Part III

Enterprise Contract Management … more than just an electronic filing cabinet!

Come back tomorrow for the fifth day of X-Mas.

On the Third day of X-Mas (2016)

On the third day of X-Mas
my blogger gave to me:
some Best Practice Posts
some Trend Bashing Posts
and some ranting on stupidity …

Best Practices – What Are They? … are they even what you think?

You Might Be Getting the Basics Right, but That’s Not Enough … you have to do better, much better

Ain’t Nothing Wrong with Being (or acting) White & Nerdy … especially if you want to excel at Supply Management

Informed Decision Making … it’s not what you think

Category Aggregation – How Far Do You Go? … do you dig in the mine the whole day through? Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! It’s off to …

Platforms are Needed to Accelerate Procurement Agility — But Don’t Overlook the Offline Contributions … or the platform that was supposed to save you could be your downfall

If you want to stand out, don’t answer the top 10 procurement questions!
Part I
Part II

And, for those who don’t want the job, How to Screw Up a Procurement Job Interview and, finally, some

Tips to Advance Your Procurement Career

If AP is the Tax Department, Make Sure They Optimize Tax Recovery!, unless you like gifting various government agencies hard earned dollars you are entitled to! (They don’t mind, but you should.)

Don’t be fooled, there is no SaaS
Part I
Part II

Also, Why You Need MROaaS … and if you don’t know the acronym, you probably need it more than you think.

Should All Service Spend Be Subject to Procurement?

Where Do You Start On Your Supply Management Journey? Inquiring minds should want to know!

Come back tomorrow for the fourth day of X-Mas.

On the First day of X-mas (2016)

On the first day of X-Mas
my blogger gave to me:
some ranting on stupidity …

It’s been a few years since our last X-Mas series, so we figure it’s time to bring you a new one. Over the next 12 days, we’re going to bring you a “best of” the last three years on a dozen topics, starting with what SI and the doctor are known for, ranting! There’s certainly much to rant about in Procurement … a never ending litany of idiocy, typically pushed by the same consultants who brought us outsourcing, downsizing, right sizing, and now in-sourcing from first a centralized, and now center led, perspective. (Good thing we cut through the whack.) So let’s get started with a list of some of the best rants to appear on SI over the past few years. (There will be more in the posts that follow.)

On How You Can Pay An Analyst 30K/day for Advice on a Solution she Hasn’t Seen! on top of potentially overpaying for a perilous pyramid report!

On Infinite Scroll … and how it’s time to bring back tar and feathering!

On How It’s Illegal to Burn Money, But Yet Your Organization Does It Every Day! (So Find Out How to Do Something About It!) … at least figuratively (if not literally) …

On How AI Will NOT Save Procurement … (despite many, many countless claims to the contrary) because
… it Will only Hasten its Demise (faster than gasoline on a fire)

On The Logistics Industry Talent Shortage … and getting to the route of the problem …

On Navegador Nightmares … as prevalent today as thy were years ago …

On MBAs and how

Sourcing Innovation Feels Your Pain! and
Why MBAs Have To Support Procurement

On The Side of Majority … is not where SI wants to be …

On Snake-Oil … and Procurement …

because There is No ONE platform! … not even in the Matrix …

On Why Good Procurement Goes Bad
Part I
Part II
because, frankly Your Procurement Sucks
but maybe that’s okay because Procurement is Doomed! Entombed! Marooned! … and we’re not kidding!