Art of Procurement

We all know what digital transformation is, right? The two words together sound simple enough, but it has become an increasingly complicated process that might start with the intention to improve the business but ends up as a band-aid for problems that never see the light of change. So where have we gone wrong? Don’t worry, it’s not all on you! Dr. Epstein reveals from a consultant’s point of view the many missteps she’s seen at the executive level that have perpetuated a cycle of inept transformations. But there is hope – in the data flowing through the enterprise and the people working together to use it. But, Dr. Epstein reminds us – there is no magic button. It takes work. There’s a new skill set that requires a general digital literacy, but it also requires working with people that perhaps have been the roadblock for a long time. Show host Katherine McCleery takes listeners on a journey through Dr. Epstein’s comprehensive view of where procurement’s gone wrong and a closer look at the path she sees ahead:  How procurement leaders can build a business case for better data and what it takes to close the gap with CIOs  Why open-sourcing data analysis and business strategy is one way to move procurement and supply chain forward Predictions on the state of the supplier experience and where we can expect to see new investment in 2022

Procurement’s time, energy, and attention are being pulled in a million directions today - but the ‘loudest’ issues are not always the most important ones. Despite constant disruption and economic uncertainty, we still need to maintain our investment in sustainability, an effort that provides an opportunity for procurement to show what we are truly capable of in terms of organizational impact.  In this week’s episode, Philip Ideson is joined by one of the giants of the procurement industry, Thomas Udesen, Chief Procurement Officer at Bayer and the Co-Founder of the Sustainable Procurement Pledge. They took this opportunity to discuss his unique procurement philosophy. Of particular interest are Thomas’ comments on: What sustainability means to him and the role procurement can play in addressing this important challenge  The key ideas he heard at the recent World Sustainable Procurement Day event How procurement can ensure that ideation about sustainability leads to associated actions

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement. Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

In late 2021, LinkedIn selected Art of Procurement Head of Content and Brand Partnerships Kelly Barner to be one of 100 creators - and the only procurement professional - to go through their first ever Creator Accelerator Program. For ten weeks starting in January 2022, Kelly had to post four pieces of new content per week related to her project, which was focused on supplier diversity. Although the program wasn’t easy to complete, it was a great opportunity for Kelly to learn more about a critical topic, to receive personalized coaching about how to make the most of LinkedIn, and to show a broad audience how valuable and interesting procurement is. In this episode, Host Philip Ideson interviews Kelly about: Having the opportunity to be an early Beta tester for LinkedIn’s new live audio event functionality Best practices for being engaged on LinkedIn in a way that increases the size of your network and reinforces the value of active connections Challenging and surprising takeaways from her 50+ interviews with supplier diversity professionals, certifying organizations, and diverse-owned businesses

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement. Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

Procurement wants to have an impact on the organization we support. Usually that impact is measured in terms of savings, but with the advancement of digital tools and sophisticated processes, we have the opportunity to take that ‘impact’ to the next level, making it scalable and sustainable. In this week’s episode, we bring you a session from our recent AOP Digital Outcomes 2022 virtual event. Helen Mackenzie was joined by Johann Raunig, a Partner at McKinsey, who has undertaken a lot of work to identify key disrupting elements.  Key takeaways from the interview include: A number of disrupting imperatives that are impacting procurement, the procurement delivery model, and our ability to accelerate our impact How procurement can achieve a response speed that matches the kinds of uncertainty we must navigate Why and where we should bring select suppliers into the procurement transformation process as well

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement. Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

Procurement is finally a ‘labor of love’ for many of the professionals who make up its ranks. And while enthusiasm within the profession is a huge step in the right direction, there is still work to be done to win the hearts and minds of broader cross functional teams. Each CPO has the opportunity to place their team at the intersection of company culture and employee experience, determining how procurement can advance and align at the highest levels of the company. The ultimate goal of this approach is for procurement to become a trusted advisor to the business. In this interview, created as an AOP Live session, Host Kelly Barner is joined by Colin Glazier, VP of Solutions Consulting at Zip, and Joe Frederick, Senior Director of Procurement & Sourcing at Snowflake. They share their unique perspectives on the important role procurement plays as a key enabler for innovation: The qualities and actions that define a world class procurement experience The most common friction points that exist in procurement processes and the impact their have on the business How technology can help solve these issues, and what people and process steps need to be taken first A new discussion of the classic ‘make v. buy’ decision and how enabling technologies can improve the employee experience.

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement. Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

Procurement has the best seat in the business right now with more influence on spend than ever before, yet still remains incredibly elusive to the sales teams 18 months into pursuing them. We have to ask – is procurement the problem or is sales just not getting it? Regardless of which side you’re on, that answer is probably blocking deals and opportunities for innovation in your organization. It’s the seemingly age-old question asked in this episode of Procurement for the People that now has a very clear answer bridging the gap between those that hold the spend and the ones looking to win their business.  Show host Katherine McCleery brings the two worlds together with guest Jill Robbins, for a masterclass on selling to procurement and how to make an impact on the value chain. Jill opens up her own sales playbook built upon years of experience in procurement.