SIG University Certified Sourcing Professional (CSP) program graduate Constance Bryant shares an honest account of how the change from a grassroots process to a more sophisticated tool for a Source-to-Contract process went for her and her organization. 

The hardest part of showing value to an organization is debunking the myth that the traditional role of Procurement is to procure goods and services. We must have practical E-sourcing tools that allow us to be efficient. This will enable the organization to truly understand how the role of Procurement is evolving and the importance of the terms and conditions put into place to mitigate risk for the stakeholder and the organization. And we must create policies and processes that provide the guidelines to regulate sourcing activities. Based on this revelation, we must clearly and effectively communicate change as it happens.

When I began working with my organization, we needed an E-sourcing tool to manage our process, identify the correct stakeholders, and provide timely updates. We also needed formalized procedures. And our policy needed to be more robust to provide clear guidance. It also lacked consequences for rogue procurement purchases. At that time, we managed our process through email and Excel spreadsheets. It could have been more effective, and the stakeholders demanded more transparency, a written procedure, and an E-sourcing solution.

SIG University Certified Sourcing Professional (CSP) program graduate Andrew Beck shares the difficulties associated with change management in sourcing and how it can help improve inefficiencies.

Learning isn’t just about knowing something but also about knowing what to do with new knowledge once it is acquired.

However, turning "educational dialogues that generate actionable takeaways" can be challenging within a traditional extended learning framework because of busy schedules and increasing workday demands. Because of this new reality, SIG University’s Microlearning sessions deliver tangible and measurable insights that you can use immediately within the convenience of a two-hour session format.

In today's post, I will briefly talk about the May Microlearning Session in which one CPO shared her experiences in leading her organization’s digital transformation journey beyond the Maginot Line.

Beyond The Maginot Line?

"Like France's 1930's Maginot Line, 'digital washing' of old ideas and lack of forward-thinking has the potential to create strategic disaster in a highly competitive world where speed to market and agility are key." - 'Digital washing' can wreck your strategic business planning, ZDNET

“Like the Maginot Line?”

Here is the link to the above article that delves deeper into the historical significance of the Maginot Line and its relation to a digital transformation strategy. In the context of the May Microlearning session, the "digital washing of old ideas” and the “lack of forward-thinking” statements stood out to me from the article.

According to May’s session expert Canda Rozier, Green Washing – when you tick a box for purportedly achieving a broad or vague sustainability target, is now happening with digital automation initiatives.

As the need for change and innovation continues to grow, companies are rapidly shifting focus towards outsourcing as a solution to assisting in digital innovation.

For many US companies, understanding the total cost of IT talent services has always been challenging, and is even more concerning now as budgets and resources continue to tighten during the COVID-19 crisis. Here are my thoughts on what to consider as you source IT talent and how to drive the “true India costs” that so many US firms are looking to take advantage of now.

Impact of Uncertainty

Many companies experienced an unanticipated disruption due to the Covid-19 crisis.  Project timelines had to be extended, delivery negatively impacted and enterprise control compromised.  While there’s no doubt that the pandemic has had an impact in some shape or form on all businesses, we have not seen a significant disruption with our clients at SMC Squared, in part due to the business continuity plans that were already set in place.

Continuity plans are a basic deliverable from the time of initial setup with SMC Squared and are essential for every global office.  All SMC Squared global employees are provided with secure laptops and remote connectivity as part of our continuity plan if the office is not accessible.  This was tested for our clients prior to COVID, so when Prime Minister Modi announced the shutdown with short notice, all of our employees had their laptops with them, including those who may have traveled home to their native places over the weekend. Therefore, despite the continued uncertainty of the pandemic, the change has had a minimal impact on work capacity.

“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good.” – Elizabeth Edwards

When I was a kid, we never said the word resilience, but we did use the word tough. Being tough is just what we need right now; toughness is our ability to spring back, even when the world around us crumbles (think COVID-19). Our resiliency grows every time we flex – just like a muscle in our body. Developing a resilient procurement team likely means you are “starting over” – or creating a fresh start in some areas of your procurement ecosystem. If you’re feeling stuck or unsure where to start, you aren’t alone. Below are five ways that Procurement can help improve business resiliency: