delegation authority on something like that might be 15 levels deep , meaning they ’ ll need sign-off from 15 people . Slim that down to six or seven approvers . It saves time and frustration , and makes the approvals more meaningful .
CC : Rather than seeing complexity as a barrier to transformation , see it as an enabler . Map the process . Identify areas of non-value and bottlenecks . Figure out how to simplify and automate . Use this to build a case for tech investment , and demonstrate the payback .”
Data analytics and brand consulting company Kantar does more than one billion dollars of digital transaction measurement for its clients on a daily basis . But internally it is also driving change , in the way it brings together its procurement data .
Stephen Day is Kantar ’ s global chief procurement officer , and he says that one barrier to procurement transformation is a lack of rigour when it comes to data . Speaking at Procurement and Supply Chain Live last year , Day said : “ A mistake a lot of organisations make is they do a lot of stuff offline in Excel spreadsheets . It passes the audit , and then they forget about it .
“ I ' ve seen many data initiatives fail because people see it as a binary process . They ' ve met a deadline , they ' ve achieved an audit criteria , they ' ve ticked a box . “ Data is a fluid resource . You ' ve got to keep nurturing and developing and investing in it . You ' ve got to make sure you engage with people , so they understand that the use of that data needs to be installed in your management system , so you use it all the time . Not just before an audit .”
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