“Digital Category Management” seems to become one of the most talked-about topics in strategic procurement lately. But why? What is it expected to deliver?
I hear a lot of different reasons and expectations, and they are all valid by themselves. Digitizing Category Management seems to be able to address a wide range of existing pain points – or help dealing with both external and internal challenges that keep showering down on procurement organizations in turbulent times like ours.
It may not be representative, and it’s somewhat counter-intuitive to me, but what I keep hearing a lot lately is the pain point of still (!) not having established a standard methodology and tool-set for category strategy development. And it’s not that companies didn’t try over the past decade(s) … I myself have been part of efforts both as a consultant and a procurement executive, but it seems like most efforts just keep falling apart over time.
Following through and keeping up the discipline over years is a real struggle for procurement organizations. Add staff attrition and reorganizations to the mix, and you have the perfect recipe for disintegration and fizzling out.
Moving on one single digital platform, with one embedded standard of methodology and tools, while tearing down all barriers of entry and follow-through – even for less-experienced category managers – should help resolve this issue. Individually and collectively. The odds were never better than now – with a mature and tested solution deployed by companies from all industries and sizes, delivering value beyond savings.
If anything of the above-mentioned is relevant for you, check out Cirtuo Guided Strategy Creation(TM)! You will be surprised to see what’s possible …
