What Industry Leaders Are Saying
“Your ‘Phase 0’ framing is exactly right. Before choosing anything, organisations must confront whether they are structurally capable of absorbing it.” — Phil Fersht, Founder, HFS Research
“You can have the most transparent, high-performance AI in the world (the Corvette), but without that ‘second transparency’ regarding internal processes and readiness, it’s just a faster way to crash. Model Transparency (Stanford’s index: data, weights, risk) and Operational Transparency (Hansen’s focus: process, readiness, skills).” — Sunny Dronawat, Ph.D., Global Tech Ventures Leader, Board Chair
The Case Study
A mid-market organization was preparing for an ERP/P2P transformation. Their consultant had completed a five-day requirements gathering workshop. Vendor demos were next. Momentum was building.
One problem: no one had measured whether the organization was structurally ready to absorb what they were about to deploy.
We conducted an HFS Phase 0 assessment. Here’s what we found:
Investment: $75K – $100K Savings: $2.1M in avoided failure costs
The data is real. The organization is protected. The pattern is not unique.
What Others Are Saying
“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.” — Tom Redman, Data Quality Pioneer, Harvard Business Review Author
“AI doesn’t fix broken systems. It exposes them faster.” — Joselina Peralta, Top 100 Women in Supply Chain
“This isn’t just about selling technology. It’s about sequencing capabilities to where each organization is.” — Stephany Lapierre, Founder, TealBook
“Technology-first approaches ignore behavioral causes and typically automate as-is processes.” — Canda Rozier, Chief Procurement Officer
“These models are interesting, but it’s their impact that’s fascinating – both in terms of what they enable and what they demand.” — Tim Cummins, President, World Commerce & Contracting
“Without readiness, technology only accelerates the chaos.” — Burcu Gürel, Procurement Consultant
The Bottom Line
Technology amplifies whatever foundation exists. It doesn’t create one.
The question isn’t whether your organization can afford Phase 0. It’s whether you can afford to skip it.
Why 70% and not higher? Fair question. This is a conservative baseline — the floor, not the ceiling. As more assessments are completed and sustained results are measured, these percentages will be refined. What we know now: starting from 70% is not the same as starting from 20%. The delta is the value.
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Procurement Insights
What Eight Industry Leaders and One Assessment Reveal About Readiness-First Transformation
Posted on December 18, 2025
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What Industry Leaders Are Saying
“Your ‘Phase 0’ framing is exactly right. Before choosing anything, organisations must confront whether they are structurally capable of absorbing it.” — Phil Fersht, Founder, HFS Research
“You can have the most transparent, high-performance AI in the world (the Corvette), but without that ‘second transparency’ regarding internal processes and readiness, it’s just a faster way to crash. Model Transparency (Stanford’s index: data, weights, risk) and Operational Transparency (Hansen’s focus: process, readiness, skills).” — Sunny Dronawat, Ph.D., Global Tech Ventures Leader, Board Chair
The Case Study
A mid-market organization was preparing for an ERP/P2P transformation. Their consultant had completed a five-day requirements gathering workshop. Vendor demos were next. Momentum was building.
One problem: no one had measured whether the organization was structurally ready to absorb what they were about to deploy.
We conducted an HFS Phase 0 assessment. Here’s what we found:
Investment: $75K – $100K Savings: $2.1M in avoided failure costs
The data is real. The organization is protected. The pattern is not unique.
What Others Are Saying
“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.” — Tom Redman, Data Quality Pioneer, Harvard Business Review Author
“AI doesn’t fix broken systems. It exposes them faster.” — Joselina Peralta, Top 100 Women in Supply Chain
“This isn’t just about selling technology. It’s about sequencing capabilities to where each organization is.” — Stephany Lapierre, Founder, TealBook
“Technology-first approaches ignore behavioral causes and typically automate as-is processes.” — Canda Rozier, Chief Procurement Officer
“These models are interesting, but it’s their impact that’s fascinating – both in terms of what they enable and what they demand.” — Tim Cummins, President, World Commerce & Contracting
“Without readiness, technology only accelerates the chaos.” — Burcu Gürel, Procurement Consultant
The Bottom Line
Technology amplifies whatever foundation exists. It doesn’t create one.
The question isn’t whether your organization can afford Phase 0. It’s whether you can afford to skip it.
Why 70% and not higher? Fair question. This is a conservative baseline — the floor, not the ceiling. As more assessments are completed and sustained results are measured, these percentages will be refined. What we know now: starting from 70% is not the same as starting from 20%. The delta is the value.
-30-
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