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Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ redefines the conventional process of category strategy development by eliminating all barriers to entry, allowing everyone to get started immediately, without specific knowledge of methodology or analytical tools. It leads the user through the entire process of creating high-quality category strategies, ensuring that all relevant analyses are done, all critical aspects are taken into account, and sound conclusions will be taken in the end – based on recommendations the solution draws from the embedded expert system (AI). Thanks to the high degree of automation, the process can be completed in a fraction of the time it used to take – weeks instead of months, days instead of weeks, or a basic category strategy being developed in less than an hour. No more time needs to be wasted on Powerpoint and Excel, spent on formatting or creating reports – allowing the user to focus on the quality and accuracy of the input purely.

Category Management and Supplier Management are closely interlinked and complement each other to create effective and impactful strategies. There is a logical sequence that has to be observed. A category strategy lays the foundation for successful supplier strategies. Using a sports analogy, category strategies define the “playing field” and the ”rules” along which category managers will act.

In contrast, supplier strategies define how they will interact with individual “players” on the field. Supplier strategies must be built on and aligned with the underlying category strategies to succeed. A supplier strategy that ignores the limits of the playing field or violates the rules will inevitably fail.

Risk management is one of the critical prerequisites for the successful category and supplier management. Timely risk identification and mitigation have proven to be crucial for successful strategic planning.

Cirtuo Risk management includes:

  • Risk identification, risk assessment, and risk mitigation, compliant with ISO 31000:2018
  • List of most commonly found risks for categories and suppliers in procurement, customizable to client’s needs
  • Risk matrix based on probability of occurrence and risk impact
  • Historical tracking of risk identification and assessment
  • Execution of a risk mitigation plan through strategies and initiatives

 

Cirtuo Risk management has proven to be a good tool for tracking all procurement-related risks, reporting on them, and complying with internal and external auditors’ requests.

Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ comes with an integrated interface to two of the leading external Market Intelligence (MI) providers in the procurement arena – Beroe and The Smart Cube. Upon client request, we also can establish a technical integration with any other 3rd party MI provider. As a user of Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™, you will have the opportunity to ask about 150 specific questions along the category strategy creation process – directly out of the tool, with the concrete answers being provided straight back into the tool to the exact spot where they were asked. The response will be immediate in the case of digitally archived information or data. If no digital answer is available, SMEs and AI will initiate the research to develop it – typically within a few business days.


Connecting with an external MI provider is an option for Cirtuo clients. The commercial terms and scope of collaboration are subject to an agreement between the client and the MI provider outside Cirtuo’s influence.

The answer is – technology! Thanks to AI and a high degree of automation, the category strategy creation process can be completed in a fraction of the time it used to take. A basic category strategy can be developed in less than an hour once all time-consuming tasks are automated (i.e., eliminated) and the embedded AI guides the user towards high-quality results. Recommendations are generated within split seconds, visualizations are created in real-time, and a formatted strategy document is available any time, ready for export to PDF or Excel.

Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ tears down all barriers to entry in the traditionally manual strategy development process. While knowledge of methodology and analytical tools is always advantageous, it no longer is a prerequisite to creating category strategies. Less experienced users will be guided through the process in the correct logical sequence of steps and can purely focus on transferring their knowledge of the category, in the specific context of their company, and regards to the relevant supply market, to the tool-feeding the algorithm of the embedded expert system (AI). Based on the description of the specific category situation, Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ provides a set of empirically proven effective “Strategic Options” (levers) with a corresponding set of “Strategic Objectives,” which are directly carried over to setting up “Initiatives” for strategy implementation. Quality is built in, and taking a wrong exit along the way will no longer happen. Users will improve their knowledge of methodology and analytical tools over time – effectively making consulting/ training in the area of Category Management obsolete.

Promoting teamwork in procurement, enhancing collaboration across functions, and closely aligning with key stakeholders has never been as crucial as in times of sudden changes and volatility. Thanks to digital AI-empowered solutions like Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™, achieving effective “collaboration” has never been easier.

Imagine a new reality!

  • All data and information, the collective know-how around a category, in one place – on one digital platform.
  • Having everyone involved in category strategy creation aligned along one standard methodology, set of analytical tools, and common language
  • Being able to see the latest version of any category strategy at any point in time – be sure that it is the most recent and complete one
  • Being able to assign specific, clearly defined tasks to team members or outsiders and monitor their input and progress in real-time (including a complete log of all activities and changes made)
  • Allowing less experienced team members to get involved and take over defined tasks, not worrying about inferior results thanks to the guidance and AI support provided by the solution
  • Being able to always trace back from the outcome of the analysis to the exact pieces of input and assumptions having been made – allowing for in-depth review and challenge
  • Imagine not wasting a minute of your time on formatting, copy-pasting, or arranging the content for a report – because all that is automated and happens in split-seconds
  • Being able to align local/ regional/ global category strategies and, eventually, initiatives for implementation in that one solution on that one digital platform – bottom-up as well as top-down, and as easy as drag-and-drop (“Multi-Layer-Strategies”)
  • Engaging with stakeholders on their essential requirements and wants to be based on a transparent methodology, guaranteeing efficient alignment and full transparency

At any point in time, anywhere along the process of category strategy creation, a strategy document is available and can be exported to PDF. With just a few clicks, selecting from a menu of options, the entire strategy document can be reduced to an “Executive Summary,” tailored to the specific interest of the next recipient. Repeatedly. Creating a new version of a strategy document takes seconds.


All data from Cirtuo can be exported to XLS, CSV, and PDF. Also, we developed a predefined template for exporting content from category/supplier management which allows for creating a customized category/supplier dossier. The dossier works so that each user can select the specific data they want to export, and the data is presented in a suitable PDF format.


Suppose you need to insert the content from Cirtuo into your PowerPoint presentation. In that case, it is possible to easily copy all data elements directly from the software and paste them into the PowerPoint. Our easy and elegant copy/paste feature allows copying all images, tables, and text areas from Cirtuo to other presentation tools, in just two clicks.


Additionally, the software includes a unique real-time Presentation module. The module is designed to enable the easy creation and update of reports. Users can build templates for standard essays or create individually customized reports. The reports always pull real-time, actualized data from the software database.


Cirtuo Presentation module allows easy refresh of the reports so that you can quickly create a new, actualized category report with the latest data. The reports can be presented directly from Cirtuo or easily exported in PDF format. This feature eliminates the need for manually assembled PowerPoint slides or MS Excel reports and improves the efficiency of reporting to management.

“Going digital” with Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ provides every Category Manager the opportunity to accelerate the process of category strategy creation significantly – thus saving a lot of time. Much more can be accomplished in the available amount of time. Or freed-up time can be reallocated to other value-creating activities.


“Going digital” with Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ also allows everybody to immediately get on board, start the strategic work and carry through to high-quality output – regardless of their experience or knowledge of methodology. Barriers to entry no longer exist. The solution becomes the trainer.


And finally, it provides every Category Manager the opportunity to say “Goodbye!” to Powerpoint! It won’t be missed.

For a procurement organization, “going digital” with Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ means having a fair shot at, eventually, standardizing the process and methodology of category strategy creation – once and for all. Technology is the “magnet” that pulls everyone in and keeps them on track – on one digital platform. Expecting full transparency is no longer wishful thinking – it becomes a reality. Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ becomes the “single place of truth,” where all relevant data and information is stored – complete and up-to-date. The built-in logging functionality ensures you can always trace how and by which a strategy was developed. This provides an opportunity for collective learning and continuous improvement, unimaginable in the traditional manual process. Documenting the collective knowledge of all Category Managers (and other expert contributors) for the company in one digital solution safeguards valuable intelligence forever. The advantages of “going digital” are as apparent as they are undisputed. The discussion is no longer about the “if” but the “how.” Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ is the established solution that caters to all these benefits.
How is Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation™ linked up with the new Cirtuo Negotiation Excellence Toolkit™?