I remember when a restaurant buffet had one – maybe two stations offering a variety of a maximum of 10 to 15 dishes. At the time, I remember thinking, wow, what a selection. How will I choose what to eat?
Inevitably, I would take a small sampling of each, and after trying them at the table, if I went back for seconds, I would select my one or two favorites.
It was a manageable process that didn’t overwhelm the dining experience.
Today’s Buffet
When you walk into a restaurant offering a buffet today, the panoply of cuisine choices seems limitless, with 15 to 20 stations of dishes from different parts of the world. Besides wishing that they allowed you to bring in Tupperware for a snack later that night, these new palaces of taste are frenetic cathedrals of patrons scrambling from one station to the next, filling their plates and then on the trip back to the table, wondering if they should have chosen something else.
The real question this raises is, is having more choices really better?
The Digital Solution Buffet (aka Map)
In December, I wrote an article titled “What’s The Cure For Solution Map Migraine?“
To be clear, I didn’t come up with the term “solution map migraine.” It is a phrase that is popping up more frequently in my discussions with CPOs and other C-Suite denizens.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and here is a picture of just one solution provider buffet.
How do you choose which provider or providers you want to try, keeping in mind that this is just one map and that many other maps include names different from what is listed above?
Today’s Post
The news that longtime Forrester veteran Mathew Schultz has joined Airbase may initially have a mild rippling effect in the industry; it is nonetheless a sign of a more significant shift that will have a far-reaching, reverberating impact on procurement that will change the solution provider landscape significantly.
Next-Gen Rebel Mathew Schulz Changes The Game
Gradually, and imperceptibly at first, there will be a migration of industry thought-leaders and analysts to solution providers whose experience, expertise, and solution offer the best chance for end-user success. In short, over the coming years, the overarching solution maps, e.g., buffets, will be closed. In its place, boutique offerings of 1 to 6 complimentary solution provider solutions will be championed by trusted and recognized industry thought leaders who will become an active part of the sales and marketing process and implementation team for said selected providers.
By the way, this isn’t exactly a new model.
In 2019, I wrote the article The Emergence of The New Standard Consultancy Model regarding Fluxym, and a white paper titled Digital Transformation of Procurement In 4 Basic Steps, featuring Velocity Procurement.
I was slightly ahead of the curve when I suggested these new “consultancy models” would drive provider insight, selection, and implementation.
The only difference today is that the level of engagement will begin with sales and marketing, move to consulting, and go through to include implementation. In short, merely pointing someone in the right direction with expert opinion and advice will be replaced by full-level accountability from initial contact to a successful and sustainable implementation.
Are You Battle-Ready?
The above evolution of knowledge sharing and industry intelligence sharing represents the real talent war emerging in the procurement world.
- As a practitioner (end-user client), are you ready for more strategic engagement to better discern which solution providers are best aligned to meet your specific needs?
- As a solution provider, will you be lost in an overcrowded solution map that takes a magnifying glass to be identified?
- As a new-era, hybrid thought leader and analyst, are you ready to take responsibility for the “real” end-to-end solution mapping process that includes achieving a successful (and sustainable) collective outcome?
Case References:
Are you chasing solutions or solving problems?
Dangerous Supply Chain Myths (Part 7)
30
Procurement Insights
The start of the “real” talent war in procurement
Posted on February 15, 2024
0
I remember when a restaurant buffet had one – maybe two stations offering a variety of a maximum of 10 to 15 dishes. At the time, I remember thinking, wow, what a selection. How will I choose what to eat?
Inevitably, I would take a small sampling of each, and after trying them at the table, if I went back for seconds, I would select my one or two favorites.
It was a manageable process that didn’t overwhelm the dining experience.
Today’s Buffet
When you walk into a restaurant offering a buffet today, the panoply of cuisine choices seems limitless, with 15 to 20 stations of dishes from different parts of the world. Besides wishing that they allowed you to bring in Tupperware for a snack later that night, these new palaces of taste are frenetic cathedrals of patrons scrambling from one station to the next, filling their plates and then on the trip back to the table, wondering if they should have chosen something else.
The real question this raises is, is having more choices really better?
The Digital Solution Buffet (aka Map)
In December, I wrote an article titled “What’s The Cure For Solution Map Migraine?“
To be clear, I didn’t come up with the term “solution map migraine.” It is a phrase that is popping up more frequently in my discussions with CPOs and other C-Suite denizens.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and here is a picture of just one solution provider buffet.
How do you choose which provider or providers you want to try, keeping in mind that this is just one map and that many other maps include names different from what is listed above?
Today’s Post
The news that longtime Forrester veteran Mathew Schultz has joined Airbase may initially have a mild rippling effect in the industry; it is nonetheless a sign of a more significant shift that will have a far-reaching, reverberating impact on procurement that will change the solution provider landscape significantly.
Next-Gen Rebel Mathew Schulz Changes The Game
Gradually, and imperceptibly at first, there will be a migration of industry thought-leaders and analysts to solution providers whose experience, expertise, and solution offer the best chance for end-user success. In short, over the coming years, the overarching solution maps, e.g., buffets, will be closed. In its place, boutique offerings of 1 to 6 complimentary solution provider solutions will be championed by trusted and recognized industry thought leaders who will become an active part of the sales and marketing process and implementation team for said selected providers.
By the way, this isn’t exactly a new model.
In 2019, I wrote the article The Emergence of The New Standard Consultancy Model regarding Fluxym, and a white paper titled Digital Transformation of Procurement In 4 Basic Steps, featuring Velocity Procurement.
I was slightly ahead of the curve when I suggested these new “consultancy models” would drive provider insight, selection, and implementation.
The only difference today is that the level of engagement will begin with sales and marketing, move to consulting, and go through to include implementation. In short, merely pointing someone in the right direction with expert opinion and advice will be replaced by full-level accountability from initial contact to a successful and sustainable implementation.
Are You Battle-Ready?
The above evolution of knowledge sharing and industry intelligence sharing represents the real talent war emerging in the procurement world.
Case References:
Are you chasing solutions or solving problems?
Dangerous Supply Chain Myths (Part 7)
30
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