Is your Procurement initiative really a cost saver? – The 8 questions to ask.

Today I ask, “How are you to know that your procurement ‘cost saving’ initiative will not deliver to the bottom line?

Regular readers of my blog will know that, recently, I wrote a series of articles on the reasons why, when many large organisations embark on centralised procurement initiatives with the promise of substantial savings, direct increases in profitability fail to materialize within the business units. Continue reading

How to Implement and Enhance a Gate Process – Part 4

Designing and operating the gates

This is the fourth in a series of articles on how to implement and enhance a gate process (also known as stage gate process). The series sets out to highlight some of the issues associated with the introduction and operation of gate processes, and to offer some advice in the context of consumer products. Continue reading

How to Implement and Enhance a Gate Process – Part 3

Designing the stages

This is the third in a series of articles on how to implement and enhance a gate process (also known as stage gate process). The series sets out to highlight some of the issues associated with the introduction and operation of gate processes, and to offer some advice in the context of consumer products. Continue reading

5 Approaches to generate movement in negotiations

A lesson for Mr Cameron and other would-be negotiators

The return of UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, from the European Council in Brussels empty-handed, raises serious questions about his competency as a negotiator. British diplomat, and former Downing Street Chief of Staff under Tony Blair, Jonathan Powell, appearing on BBC’s Newsnight, accused Cameron of either incompetence or deliberately going for failure.  The Economist reports the assessment of “a well-placed source” who was certain that [failure]was not Mr Cameron’s goal.

So here is a lesson for Mr Cameron and, with a little interpretation by the reader, a lesson for other would-be negotiators. Continue reading

How to Implement and Enhance a Gate Process – Part 2

The first steps

This is the second of a series of articles on how to implement and enhance a gate process. The series sets out to highlight some of the issues associated with the introduction and operation of  gate processes, and to offer some advice in the context of consumer products. Continue reading

5 Models for procurement organisation

A discussion has been running in the Procurement Professionals Group on LinkedIn to explore the reasons why centralised procurement initiatives often promise substantial savings, then fail to deliver to the bottom line. Various contributors have expressed different interpretations of “centralised procurement” which has prompted me to write a short article setting out the five models for procurement organisation. Continue reading

How to Implement and Enhance a Gate Process – Part 1

Common problems with Gate Process

This is the first of a series of articles on how to implement and enhance a gate process. I shall be highlighting some of the issues associated with the introduction and operation of a gate processes, and to offer some advice in the context of consumer products. Continue reading