Chris Crane's blog

Why the Sourcing Status Quo Is No Longer an Option

Half of all procurement organizations will have near-real-time procurement analytics.

According to Gartner’s latest predictions, in just four short years, half of all procurement organizations will have near-real-time procurement analytics – will yours be one of them?

While we can argue the probability of this claim (along with the debatable prediction that we will see a large rise in voice-command PO processes), there is certainly no denying that the way companies do business is changing. Between hyper-automation, machine learning, and a renewed focus on user-centric design, we can now access and influence limitless channels in a matter of seconds. With this massive influx of new data and opportunities for connection, sourcing and procurement must adapt to the rapidly evolving market or risk falling behind.

Like Sales with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms or Human Resources with Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions, modern sourcing organizations need technologies that will empower them with visibility into their processes, proactively manage projects and mitigate risks, and generate actionable insights based on real-time data.  

Why Digital Transformation is Mission-Critical for Your Business

Implementing new technology can seem daunting, but with an effective change management strategy, you’ll find that the benefits far outweigh any costs. If you’re still on the fence about adopting modern solutions, here are five benefits your organization is missing out on by continuing with its current processes. 

Chris Crane, Co-Founder, Product, Scout RFP, a Workday company

Why Secure Sourcing Starts with Automation

Automating supplier-related processes benefits businesses.

Growing economic uncertainty, geopolitical unrest, and emerging cyber threats mean that security and risk management are now critical boardroom priorities. If that weren’t enough, businesses today are not only accountable for the factors that impact them directly, but they’re also responsible for those that impact their suppliers.

Take the recent Quest Diagnostics data breach as an example. Despite Quest’s strong internal cybersecurity infrastructure, the sensitive information of 11.9 million patients was hacked through a third-party billing vendor with subpar security standards. The lesson is clear: a company is only as safe as its weakest vendor.  

Many organizations continue to manage suppliers, contracts, and procurement processes manually or with outdated, clunky technology that is too complicated for efficient use. These haphazard systems are, unfortunately, perfect harbors for risk, but there is tremendous opportunity here. According to a recent McKinsey & Company report, 56% of source-to-pay tasks could be “fully or largely automated using currently available technologies.”

While automation isn’t a cure-all, it does have the potential to drastically decrease overall risk. How? By reducing the “human factor” in supplier management and allowing sourcing employees to focus on more critical projects. In addition to putting risk mitigation at the forefront, automating supplier-related processes benefits businesses in these four key ways:

Chris Crane, Co-Founder, Product, Scout RFP, a Workday company