SUPPLY CHAIN
OVER-COMMITMENT OF INITIATIVES NW : Instead of spreading yourself thinly across ten projects , focus on , say , three , and make sure they are delivered to a very high standard . Less is more -and be patient . A technology project in a large company might take two years , and be multi-phased . Even when it ’ s implemented , training needs to be ongoing , because people are always joining or leaving .
CC : Over-commitment is easy to do and difficult to step back from . No leader wants to fall short of what they promised the board or , worse , Wall Street . Under-promise and over-deliver , but without appearing to have set soft goals .
INADEQUATE FUNDING OR RESOURCES ? NW : Procurement is never top of the shopping list . Sales , Marketing , Business Development and R & D are always top . So recognise that , and take the time to make your business case as persuasive as possible .
Bring in the hard data , the benchmarks , the external perspectives on what everyone else is doing , and you should be doing the same . We live in a world of shortages and cost inflation , so procurement has never been more important . Right now , procurement managers should be driving transformation initiatives harder than ever .