Mary Zampino's blog

Reengineering Resilience: Why Supply Chain Resilience And Sustainability Is Finally More Than A Discussion

Supply Chain Resilience And Sustainability

Have you ever heard the old saying, "when everything is said and done, there is more said than done?"

How about “everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it?”

The common theme through the above examples of observational wisdom is the suggestion that talking about something is not the same as doing something about it.

Based on experience, I would not be off base in suggesting that this same theme applies to the subject of supply chain resiliency. In other words, in the world of procurement and strategic sourcing, the importance of resilient supply chains has been a point of discussion for some time.

However, what the COVID-19 pandemic and today’s increasing geopolitical instability have taught us is that our fruitful discussions in the past did not necessarily translate into meaningful actions and outcomes today.

Didn’t See It Coming?

When considering the significant disruptions in our global supply chains over the past two years – the most recent involving baby formula, we must ask ourselves how we got here. Didn’t we see it coming?

Let's face it, before COVID-19, how many of us would have predicted that our supply chains would, in some cases, snap like a rubber band stretched beyond its level of tolerance. Sure, we knew there were potential vulnerabilities in our supply and demand networks, but who expected such far-reaching, universal failures? By the state of things today, very few saw what was coming, and even fewer believed that we weren't ready for it.

Why were we so confident?

The problem wasn’t a lack of awareness regarding the importance of having resiliency and agility in our supply chains. We knew it was important. The issue was in our approach, or better yet, our interpretation.

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

GEP Spend Category Outlook Report For 2022: The Industry’s Most Comprehensive Guide For Navigating An Uncertain World

Spend Category Outlook

Coming in at 130 pages, you might immediately think that this isn't a paper or a report; it's a book.

I know that was my first thought when I began reading the GEP Spend Category Outlook Report For 2022. Just as an aside, did you know that between 2011 and 2017, the average length of a bestselling book fell by 42%? Since then, and with the demand on our time becoming greater, I am sure that the length reduction has continued its downward trend.

By the way, a 2022 report indicates that the same downward trend applied to white papers, which, on average, are now 6 to 8 pages.

So, why am I with this latest paper talking about the number of pages versus the actual content – which is amazing?

My reason is that reviewing this report shouldn’t be a “read once and done” exercise.

The Ultimate Nightstand Guide

In today's Zettabyte digital reality, we are bombarded with content so much so that if you read a book or a paper, you are likely to gather what you can and then move on to the next resource – which is fair.

However, sometimes the information you receive is so on the mark that it is worth setting aside to a special place so that you can easily access its insights any day, every day. What I am talking about is a guidebook. And this latest GEP release is just that – it is a handy guidebook that you will want to keep at your fingertips to understand better the challenges you have or are facing today and the ones you will be facing tomorrow.

Having read it in its entirety, I can confidently say that it will help you get ahead of the curve of future challenging events before they unfold. Through the agility of its timely insights and the practical adaptability of its direction, you will quickly move from a reactive to a proactive position. It is the epitome of turning information into actionable knowledge.  

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

How Procurement Has Bridged The Gap With Finance

Procurement and Finance

Let's start with a bit of a history lesson. Have you heard of Robert Rudzki?

As the co-author of the 2005 book Straight to the Bottom Line®: An Executive's Roadmap to World Class Supply Management, Rudzki knows a thing or two about the subject matter about which he confidently writes. Between 1977 and 2005 – 28 years, he was SVP and CPO for notable brands Bayer Corp. and Bethlehem Steel Corp. Be sure to note his dual finance and procurement role.

Based on his expertise – which includes an MBA in Finance from the world’s oldest and most prestigious business school, Rudzki identified the five critical finance terms every purchaser should know. In short, his bridge between finance and procurement was to have the latter refocus on areas such as ROIC, Cost of Capital, and P/E Ratio.

His reasoning was supported by a 2006 article that asserted, “Too often, finance executives in Corporate America simply don’t believe that purchasing departments are really bringing in the savings they claim" because “financing and purchasing don’t speak the same language.”

This linguistic disconnect was further emphasized in a 2007 news report indicating the following:

  • Less than 20% of CFOs consider the work of CPOs and their staffs as having a very positive impact on competitiveness.

Additional insights from an excerpt of the research paper referenced in the same news report also indicate that:

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

One Source Of Truth: Tearing Down The Silos Of Sourcing Inefficiencies

Seven Steps to Success in Sourcing

Thrust into the spotlight due to the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine, the demand for sourcing professionals to deliver maximum value has never been greater.

To start, "maximum value" is no longer about getting something at the best price – if it ever was. I base the "ever was" on the words of a 20-plus-year industry veteran who has held senior executive positions with a major global brand and stressed that it has never really been about cost savings alone. If it were, they added, they would have left the industry a year and a half after they started.

So, if it isn't about cost savings, what is it about?

It is about agility, resilience, and being strategic. It is also about breaking through existing barriers to achieve optimal outcomes through digital transformation. In other words, the merger of people skills with emerging digital tools such as Life Cycle Contract Management (CLM) solutions.

The Seven Steps to Success in Sourcing paper was written with the above objectives in mind.

Beyond providing an outline of the challenges with which sourcing professionals are now contending, in this article, I will review the paper's "seven steps" within the context of a CLM framework. Included will be a deeper dive into one of the steps – Improving transparency.

Barriers To Agility

The paper talks about the challenges of "cumbersome siloed data" and points out that sourcing professionals are weighed down (and slowed down) by "outdated traditional systems" and "complex, often manual" processes.

While these have been significant issues, they take on new meaning in a post-pandemic world, a new meaning in which supply chain resiliency is being stretched to the breaking point.

As a result, the risk of "slow, inflexible sourcing processes" reduces agility and, with it, the ability to adapt to the at times, unpredictable changes in the marketplace.

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

How AI Will Transform Procurement

procurement transformation with ai

Procurement is entering a new era of increasing complexities in which traditional measures of success such as cost savings are no longer the sole focus.

Instead, and as reported in the Deloitte 2021 CPO Survey, "changing business dynamics and increasing layers of complexity" and corresponding "expectations" are transforming the way the industry thinks and acts.

For example, new and more challenging areas such as "climate change, geopolitical stability," and "increasing societal expectations" are now part of the new equation.

The introduction of these emerging variables is causing organizations to re-examine their digital transformation strategies, including how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help them address the industry's challenges.

The SIG Survey

In 2021 SIG surveyed 100 procurement professionals from Fortune 500 and Global 1000 organizations on digital transformation and AI in procurement.

Based on the results, it is clear that those responding to the survey believe that "procurement's priorities lie with how AI technology can streamline the roles and processes to deliver meaningful and sustainable results."

Unfortunately, and despite the opportunity for more significant gains, the survey reports that "several obstacles" make it difficult for organizations to "bridge the divide" between the promise of digital AI and the realization of its optimal benefits.

Crossing the Divide

Understanding the importance of AI and identifying the challenges with realizing its potential to redefine and empower procurement to achieve critical objectives is the first step to crossing the aforementioned divide.

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

Trending in the SIG Resource Center – February 2021

In early December 2020, Google published its trends for 2020, listing the top searched terms, people, news stories and more. It is no great surprise that "Coronavirus" was the top searched term and news story. Nor that Tom Hanks, Kobe Bryant or Kamala Harris were high on the list. What I found remarkable is that these trends were not reflected in the top searched terms for SIG's website in 2020. In fact, it was business as usual on our website. Sure "COVID" and "resiliency" and "remote work policies" made the list. Website traffic and searches increased in volume, but our visitors were searching for the same topics and downloading some of our best case studies for help.

Here's just a short snapshot of some of the trending searches in 2020:

Category Management

Most sourcing professionals know what category management is and a critical mass of our members practice category management at varying levels of maturity. This SIG blog summarizes our resources in one location and is one of our most visited pages. Members frequently download our Template for Building a Business Case for Category Management.

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

7 Reasons to Respond to that Survey

SIG is hosting a survey to find out what matters most to SIG members.

Every day, my inbox is bombarded with requests for feedback. Most requests I honor because I am a data nerd and I know there's some fellow data nerd behind the scenes who really needs the insight for their business case. Also because my husband is a PhD and we spent several years of our marriage dedicated to quantitative assessments - I have seen tears spilled over empty questionnaires.

Many survey requests I archive for later because I want to see how our partners and competitors collect data and use it to shape their programs. But mostly, I just think it is incredibly important to share your opinion when asked. (I could write a whole different blog on when NOT express your opinion, mostly from first-hand experience.)

This is a list of the top 7 reasons why I think people should respond to SIG surveys in particular and surveys in general.

SIG Member Input Drives Content Creation

As sourcing professionals, you are really good at understanding the value of your partnerships and ensuring you realize that value -- that is why we have strategic sourcing, negotiations, performance measurement and things like vested sourcing. Providing your input to SIG about what you need from our partnership is critical to us delivering the content, the speakers, the tools, the connections and the awareness you expect from us. You are paying for it, so let us know how we can serve you!

Expressing Your Opinion Is Good for Mental Health

Get it off your chest, share your concerns and join a community of people who are facing the same problems as you. We know your leadership, your customers and your team are all leaning on you to make 2021 successful. Telling someone about this can be extremely helpful, because it means someone is in your corner listening.

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

Resources for Supplier Diversity Programs

The benefits of a supplier diversity program can have lasting impacts on your community and your organization.

For those who work in any area of the supply chain, diversity is a word that comes up often. Supplier diversity or diversity in contracting are programs that can be either mandatory (i.e., requirement to fulfill state or federal contracts) or voluntary (i.e., procurement/social responsibility strategy).   

Whether your organization chooses diverse suppliers for advocacy and social responsibility reasons, to comply with state or federal regulations, or to simply meet your stated requirements and work scope, the benefits of supplier diversity can have lasting impacts on your community and your organization. 

Starting a Supplier Diversity Program (SD Program) in your organization requires input and collaboration from various stakeholders at all levels. The SIG Resource Center has a wealth of information to help you begin the process to implement an SD Program, including how to make the business case to internal stakeholders, best practices and benchmarking studies from your peers.  

Mary Zampino, Senior Director of Global Sourcing Intelligence

COVID-19 Resources for Sourcing, Procurement and Workforce Management

Covid-19 resources

SIG is always asking our event attendees, current and future members, and readers about their current issues and concerns. I have been tracking and analyzing their responses for almost 10 years now. While cost savings and value-add remain consistent and strong priorities, there's no doubt many are very concerned about meeting pandemic-related needs.

We are blessed to have a community of thought leaders and generous, experienced professionals who are willing to share their experiences and describe their wins.

We offer the following resources in your quest for COVID-19 related items specific to sourcing, procurement, and workforce management. SIG members can continue to search for related articles here.

In the resources listed here, you can learn how to set up crow's nest and a war chest, hear how Sprint/T-Mobile are managing the crisis using AI for their spend analytics, specific procurement best practices for today's market, how technology enhances continuity in your workforce and what happens if and when this is "all over." Plus, so much more.

Checklist: 6 Steps for Navigating Through the COVID-19 Storm

Covid-19 has transformed from a short-term hiccup to a perfect storm at an unprecedented pace. It is normal to feel disoriented and to feel like you're running in eight directions at once.

>>Read More

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

Sustainability in Sourcing Part II: Sourcing's Role

An image of a glass globe in the forest.

In previous blogs, SIG has covered the basic concept of sustainability, including an overview of its various dimensions. In this post, I will touch on the role that sourcing professionals can have in meeting corporate sustainability goals.

Why should sourcing have a role?

Sourcing is uniquely positioned to contribute to meeting a corporation's sustainability goals because sourcing typically has expertise in:

  • Creating alignment to corporate goals
  • Building frameworks to measure success
  • Researching market conditions and supplier capabilities
  • Conducting strategic negotiations 
  • Designing innovative methods for value creation
  • Ranking the priorities of stakeholders with supplier offerings   
  • Identifying risk and mitigating responsibly

The reduction in costs after implementing a sustainability program can exceed the costs of implementation – in other words, you’re spending money up front but in the long run, you save more than you spend. For example, if an organization were to target the spend category of corporate services and facilities management (FM), capital may be invested in working with a supplier to install a new system that reduces energy consumption at the company's North American headquarters, but in the long run, the reduction in energy costs saves the company money – which of course, can then be reinvested.

In this example, procurement and sourcing are uniquely positioned to make this happen. Most likely Sourcing negotiated the original FM contract, understands the innovative capabilities of suppliers, has heard many recent pitches on new products, and is adept at performing the analysis that proves an investment can have a significant return in hard costs, and even soft costs.

Mary Zampino, Vice President – Content, Research & Analytics

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