Right off the bat, I do not want to suggest that there are ProcureTech marketing departments intentionally delivering misleading or buffed-up versions of what they are doing, how they are doing it, and their success to date.
However, when was the last time a ProcureTech solution provider discussed losing a client or had a less-than-successful implementation? How about listing their weaknesses where they see the need for improvement or how a very successful client outgrew their solution. Wouldn’t that inspire confidence and greater trust rather than just having the rah-rah machine pumping out success after success story?
If we look at the statistics below from the Gartners and McKinseys of the world, at minimum, 70% to 80% of all initiatives fail. If we don’t acknowledge this, how can providers and practitioners learn from it? How can they improve on the decades-long failed outcomes?
While specific failure rates for ProcureTech initiatives are not widely documented, insights from related technology implementations offer some perspective:
- ERP Implementations: Gartner reports that failure rates for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations can exceed 75%. pemeco.com
- Digital Transformations: McKinsey estimates that over 70% of all digital transformations fail. pemeco.com
These figures suggest that technology implementation projects, including those in procurement, face significant challenges in delivering expected results.
A Recent Client Interview
Below is an excerpt from a client interview I did. During the interview, AdaptOne gave me unrestricted access to GeoSyntec, one of their clients.
Subject: Mylli Fryman, Geosyntec
ProcureTech Provider: AdaptOne
Critical Topics Addressed:
Summary: In the Client Interview / Case Study Discussion meeting, Mylli Fryman from Geosyntec shared insights into her experience with Adapt One, emphasizing the platform’s user-friendliness and customizability that initially addressed the need for efficient supplier information collection. Although the implementation faced delays due to ongoing feature requests, the deployment was ultimately seamless, with a clean slate for purchase orders and no legacy data migration required. As the company experienced exponential growth and increased transaction volume, they transitioned to Coupa to accommodate their needs, particularly after processing around 60,000 invoices annually.
Key takeaways include:
- The importance of supplier experience in system design and the effective data migration from Adapt One to Coupa highlights the value of AdaptOne’s commitment to understanding business requirements throughout the engagement.
- An unexpected ending to a great story (this is what a “true” case study should be). Had AdaptOne not laid the solid foundation for a successful implementation, it is doubtful that the transition to Coupa to handle the increase in volume would have been as successful.
Regarding the above two points, while specific statistics on the failure rates of transitions between ProcureTech platforms are scarce, data from related fields provide some context:
- Procurement Software Rollouts: Research indicates that up to 90% of procurement software implementations fail to meet their objectives. spendmatters.com
- ERP Implementations: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects have a failure rate exceeding 50%. pemeco.com
- Data Migration Projects: Approximately 83% of data migration initiatives either fail or surpass their budgets and schedules. oracle.com
Besides allowing me to share the entire interview, AdaptOne was willing to address the transition from a successful AdaptOne implementation to Coupa. Below is the email I received from John Davis, President at AdaptOne.
“At AdaptOne, we don’t just provide supplier management and procurement solutions; we collaborate with our customers to thoroughly understand their challenges and unique business dynamics to help them achieve their business objectives.
We are genuinely committed to our customer’s success, and that’s a core value that drives our organization. We are deeply grateful for the insights our customers share with us; their feedback directly shapes our solutions and fuels our innovation. Our commitment to listening, learning, and adapting continues to help us continue to offer solutions that are as adaptable, configurable, and scalable as the business needs them to be.”
TODAY’S TAKEAWAY: As someone who has worked in high-tech and procurement for more than 40 years, the one constant with successful initiatives – is the realization that technology is not the determining factor for success. The people, the practitioners, who take a lead position and work with a willing solution provider. In this context, I close with the following excerpt from the Yes, Virginia Series:
“Virginia’s recognition that government goes beyond a mere org chart and is actually comprised of higher education, K-12, Corrections, Public Safety, Transportation, Health, Social Services, and Construction, etc., meant that they really understood the “special needs, special rules, and special challenges” associated with each entity’s procurement practice both individually and collectively.
As a result, they avoided the trap of eVA becoming a software project, as Bob put it, and were thereby able to shift the emphasis from an exercise in cost justification to one of process understanding and refinement. And while the Ariba application has done the job it was required to do, eVA’s effectiveness has little to do with the technology and more to do with the methodology the Virginia Brain Trust employed. When technology (nee software) is seen as the primary vehicle to drive results, it becomes ineffectual and mostly irrelevant. The 75 to 85% e-procurement initiative failure rate verifies this fact.”
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Procurement Insights
Is ProcureTech Success Overrated
Posted on February 19, 2025
0
Right off the bat, I do not want to suggest that there are ProcureTech marketing departments intentionally delivering misleading or buffed-up versions of what they are doing, how they are doing it, and their success to date.
However, when was the last time a ProcureTech solution provider discussed losing a client or had a less-than-successful implementation? How about listing their weaknesses where they see the need for improvement or how a very successful client outgrew their solution. Wouldn’t that inspire confidence and greater trust rather than just having the rah-rah machine pumping out success after success story?
If we look at the statistics below from the Gartners and McKinseys of the world, at minimum, 70% to 80% of all initiatives fail. If we don’t acknowledge this, how can providers and practitioners learn from it? How can they improve on the decades-long failed outcomes?
While specific failure rates for ProcureTech initiatives are not widely documented, insights from related technology implementations offer some perspective:
These figures suggest that technology implementation projects, including those in procurement, face significant challenges in delivering expected results.
A Recent Client Interview
Below is an excerpt from a client interview I did. During the interview, AdaptOne gave me unrestricted access to GeoSyntec, one of their clients.
Subject: Mylli Fryman, Geosyntec
ProcureTech Provider: AdaptOne
Critical Topics Addressed:
Summary: In the Client Interview / Case Study Discussion meeting, Mylli Fryman from Geosyntec shared insights into her experience with Adapt One, emphasizing the platform’s user-friendliness and customizability that initially addressed the need for efficient supplier information collection. Although the implementation faced delays due to ongoing feature requests, the deployment was ultimately seamless, with a clean slate for purchase orders and no legacy data migration required. As the company experienced exponential growth and increased transaction volume, they transitioned to Coupa to accommodate their needs, particularly after processing around 60,000 invoices annually.
Key takeaways include:
Regarding the above two points, while specific statistics on the failure rates of transitions between ProcureTech platforms are scarce, data from related fields provide some context:
Besides allowing me to share the entire interview, AdaptOne was willing to address the transition from a successful AdaptOne implementation to Coupa. Below is the email I received from John Davis, President at AdaptOne.
“At AdaptOne, we don’t just provide supplier management and procurement solutions; we collaborate with our customers to thoroughly understand their challenges and unique business dynamics to help them achieve their business objectives.
We are genuinely committed to our customer’s success, and that’s a core value that drives our organization. We are deeply grateful for the insights our customers share with us; their feedback directly shapes our solutions and fuels our innovation. Our commitment to listening, learning, and adapting continues to help us continue to offer solutions that are as adaptable, configurable, and scalable as the business needs them to be.”
TODAY’S TAKEAWAY: As someone who has worked in high-tech and procurement for more than 40 years, the one constant with successful initiatives – is the realization that technology is not the determining factor for success. The people, the practitioners, who take a lead position and work with a willing solution provider. In this context, I close with the following excerpt from the Yes, Virginia Series:
“Virginia’s recognition that government goes beyond a mere org chart and is actually comprised of higher education, K-12, Corrections, Public Safety, Transportation, Health, Social Services, and Construction, etc., meant that they really understood the “special needs, special rules, and special challenges” associated with each entity’s procurement practice both individually and collectively.
As a result, they avoided the trap of eVA becoming a software project, as Bob put it, and were thereby able to shift the emphasis from an exercise in cost justification to one of process understanding and refinement. And while the Ariba application has done the job it was required to do, eVA’s effectiveness has little to do with the technology and more to do with the methodology the Virginia Brain Trust employed. When technology (nee software) is seen as the primary vehicle to drive results, it becomes ineffectual and mostly irrelevant. The 75 to 85% e-procurement initiative failure rate verifies this fact.”
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