Karthik Rama – Procurement Doctor — that’s a great list. Of course, the solution provider should know as much, if not more, about the business and procurement than the prospective client.
Here is an example of what I am talking about – https://bit.ly/3uDK2no
I am concerned that providers like the one I mentioned in this post—the ones in which the founders actually worked in procurement and supply chain—are like fine Kentucky Bluegrass being choked out by the weeds of Generative AI hype.
How many solution providers like this struggle in relative obscurity while others with little practical industry knowledge and a big bankroll behind them hype the industry like a young child eating a big bag of candy before bedtime?
What happens after the inevitable “sugar crash” happens?
Most of the people I have interviewed for many solution providers have been CMOs, PRs, and Sales VPs for sugar crush companies. The top leadership hides behind their “professional management” status with little practical qualification, let alone an understanding of the actual businesses they proclaim to serve.
The ultimate truth that is missed in this generational tech hype cycle is that you can’t create a viable solution to a problem if you have a one-dimensional understanding of the tech but not the business itself. Give me someone who has worked in the trenches of procurement and supply chain over a data scientist or techno-wizard any day.
Instead of seeking the what and how, start with seeking the WHO behind the solution provider you are considering working with.
One Caveat: just because someone has worked and solved problems as a procurement professional does not guarantee an automatic win.
Understanding procurement without understanding business processes and how technology works is when the pendulum swings to the other extreme, which leads to disappointment.
You need a practical and complementary balance between the two.
In the meantime, check out Tom Kieley and Clint McRee, not their company or technology.
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Procurement Insights
Procurement: it’s time to get out of the Gen AI weeds!
Posted on August 10, 2024
0
Karthik Rama – Procurement Doctor — that’s a great list. Of course, the solution provider should know as much, if not more, about the business and procurement than the prospective client.
Here is an example of what I am talking about – https://bit.ly/3uDK2no
I am concerned that providers like the one I mentioned in this post—the ones in which the founders actually worked in procurement and supply chain—are like fine Kentucky Bluegrass being choked out by the weeds of Generative AI hype.
How many solution providers like this struggle in relative obscurity while others with little practical industry knowledge and a big bankroll behind them hype the industry like a young child eating a big bag of candy before bedtime?
What happens after the inevitable “sugar crash” happens?
Most of the people I have interviewed for many solution providers have been CMOs, PRs, and Sales VPs for sugar crush companies. The top leadership hides behind their “professional management” status with little practical qualification, let alone an understanding of the actual businesses they proclaim to serve.
The ultimate truth that is missed in this generational tech hype cycle is that you can’t create a viable solution to a problem if you have a one-dimensional understanding of the tech but not the business itself. Give me someone who has worked in the trenches of procurement and supply chain over a data scientist or techno-wizard any day.
Instead of seeking the what and how, start with seeking the WHO behind the solution provider you are considering working with.
One Caveat: just because someone has worked and solved problems as a procurement professional does not guarantee an automatic win.
Understanding procurement without understanding business processes and how technology works is when the pendulum swings to the other extreme, which leads to disappointment.
You need a practical and complementary balance between the two.
In the meantime, check out Tom Kieley and Clint McRee, not their company or technology.
30
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