On the Seventh day of X-Mas (2016)


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

Sustainability. Corporate Social Responsibility. They are more than just buzzwords. They are essential to not only productive Procurement but corporate survival. If you’re not careful, and a critical resource required for production gets exhausted, then what? If you’re not cautious, and banned materials get into your products and you get hit with tens of millions of fines your company can’t afford as it is operating on razor thin margins, then what? And so on.

The reality is, Failure to Monitor a Supply Chain for Risk Can Tarnish Your Brand.

Don’t forget! A Major Disruption to Supply Chains Occurs Every Day — Is Yours Ready?

That’s one reason A Financial Health Check Should Be a Pre-Qualification of Every Supplier Qualification.

You have to Stop Blaming the Supplier! Melamine in the Milk is STILL Your Fault
After all, You’d Think It Would Be Obvious By Now that You Should Not Poison Your Customer!

You Need to Get Sustainable Because Customers Won’t Pay!

Sustainablity Requires Shared Understanding

Waste is costly. More costly than you think.
So here’s A Starter’s Guide to Zero Waste
Reasons you should Waste Not, Want Not
and Grocery Retailers Waste So Much Food It Should Be Criminal!

And even though you’re focussed on that bottom line, remember to ask yourself:
Is Your Supply Management Ethical?
Do You Know the Rules of Ethical Supplier Interaction?
Dilemma or Not, Buyers Still Must Take Ethics into Account!

And while you might not be big on document management,
Content is a Cornerstone of Compliance

In conclusion, come back tomorrow for the eighth day of X-Mas, and Don’t Be a Smeghead!

On the Sixth day of X-Mas (2016)


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

Before we go any further, the doctor would like to remind you that It’s Sourcing and Procurement, that we’ve already given you a list of basic questions to ask your e-Procurement Vendor, and that Procurement is so extensive that it’s the source of 101 Damnations that plague your working existence. All that being said, there is still more to say and some of it is captured in the linked posts below.

What is a “Best” Procurement Organization? Does it even exist?

No Environment is too Challenging or too Unique for Procure to Pay … despite what the neigh-sayers say!

3 More Terrible Reasons NOT to use e-Procurement … to add to the neigh-sayers’ pile of excuses!

What Procurement Processes Should be Automated? (Hint, not all of them!)

Procurement is Complex. Is Your Platform Capable of Handling It? (Hint, probably not!)

Have We Reached B2B 3.0 Yet? Part 5: B2B 3.0 in Procurement

How Do You Maintain Coherence Between Sourcing, Procurement, and Accounts Payable? (This is an important question, any incoherence costs you $$$!)

Some Procurement Myths Debunked!
Part I
Part II

And a shout out to the maverick!

And, finally,
Finding Your Procurement Mojo and Gettin’ Sigi Wit’ It
Part Un
Part Deux

Come back tomorrow for the seventh day of 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.