Something remarkable happened this week in a LinkedIn thread.
Six independent voices — none coordinating, none prompted — arrived at the same conclusion from completely different starting points.
Tom Redman (30 years in data quality, HBR author): “Good tools can identify and resolve most duplicates. But it leaves aside the question: why are we creating so many duplicates in the first place? Ignore this and you will de-dupe forever.”
Phil Fersht (HFS Research founder): “Your ‘Phase 0’ framing is exactly right. Before choosing anything, organisations must confront whether they are structurally capable of absorbing it.”
Joselina Peralta (Top 100 Women in Supply Chain): “Data architecture isn’t neutral — it’s a reflection of operational structure, ownership, and accountability. AI doesn’t fix broken systems. It exposes them faster.”
Stephany Lapierre (TealBook founder): “We intentionally started with organizations high on the maturity curve… This isn’t just about selling technology. It’s about sequencing capabilities to where each organization is.”
Canda Rozier (CPO): “Technology-first approaches ignore behavioral causes and typically automate as-is processes.”
Burcu Gürel (Procurement Consultant): “Without readiness, technology only accelerates the chaos.”
Meanwhile, Gartner released data predicting 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled and 60% will stall without AI-ready data and governance.
The question that surfaced: Did the technology create readiness — or did already-mature organizations simply absorb and amplify it?
Twenty-seven years ago, I faced that question with Canada’s Department of National Defence. I could have built a perpetual engagement — de-duping their data forever. Instead, we asked Tom’s question. Fixed the upstream physics. Delivery accuracy went from 51% to 97.3%.
The thesis hasn’t changed: Technology amplifies whatever foundation exists. It doesn’t create one.
The industry is finally catching up.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The complete PDF transcript of the LinkedIn discussion stream is available on request – just type in the word transcript in the comment section, or send me an email at jon@pimedia1.com.
#procurement #AI #digitaltransformation #datagovernance #readiness #leadership
BONUS COVERAGE
-30-
Procurement Insights
The Convergence: When Independent Voices Arrive at the Same Truth
Posted on December 4, 2025
0
Something remarkable happened this week in a LinkedIn thread.
Six independent voices — none coordinating, none prompted — arrived at the same conclusion from completely different starting points.
Tom Redman (30 years in data quality, HBR author): “Good tools can identify and resolve most duplicates. But it leaves aside the question: why are we creating so many duplicates in the first place? Ignore this and you will de-dupe forever.”
Phil Fersht (HFS Research founder): “Your ‘Phase 0’ framing is exactly right. Before choosing anything, organisations must confront whether they are structurally capable of absorbing it.”
Joselina Peralta (Top 100 Women in Supply Chain): “Data architecture isn’t neutral — it’s a reflection of operational structure, ownership, and accountability. AI doesn’t fix broken systems. It exposes them faster.”
Stephany Lapierre (TealBook founder): “We intentionally started with organizations high on the maturity curve… This isn’t just about selling technology. It’s about sequencing capabilities to where each organization is.”
Canda Rozier (CPO): “Technology-first approaches ignore behavioral causes and typically automate as-is processes.”
Burcu Gürel (Procurement Consultant): “Without readiness, technology only accelerates the chaos.”
Meanwhile, Gartner released data predicting 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled and 60% will stall without AI-ready data and governance.
The question that surfaced: Did the technology create readiness — or did already-mature organizations simply absorb and amplify it?
Twenty-seven years ago, I faced that question with Canada’s Department of National Defence. I could have built a perpetual engagement — de-duping their data forever. Instead, we asked Tom’s question. Fixed the upstream physics. Delivery accuracy went from 51% to 97.3%.
The thesis hasn’t changed: Technology amplifies whatever foundation exists. It doesn’t create one.
The industry is finally catching up.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The complete PDF transcript of the LinkedIn discussion stream is available on request – just type in the word transcript in the comment section, or send me an email at jon@pimedia1.com.
#procurement #AI #digitaltransformation #datagovernance #readiness #leadership
BONUS COVERAGE
-30-
Share this:
Related