Strategic Performance Metrics for Purchasing and the Supply Chain
By Dr. Tom DePaoli “Unless you have clear goals you are a nomad, not an explorer.” Many purchasing organizations struggle with the appropriate metrics to use. They often neglect strategic metrics and favor more tactical and transactional ones. This type of approach just encourages a stereotypical view of purchasing that is traditional and bureaucratic. Emphasizing […]
Solo Baseball
One Hundred and Eighty Foot Solo Baseball The home-run fence in our local Little League Park was about 180 feet from home plate. Not only did I know this distance to be accurate but I had actually paced it out in the local Little League ball park. I would often play a game of solo […]
Software Data Collection and Kaizen Techniques
A major purchasing software system was to be installed at a multi-national company. The software was specific to each plant or service department. Teams of consultants would visit each plant and try to gather the necessary data that the software installers need to install the software of the particular plant. That data was then given […]
Should Purchasing Use 360 Degree Performance Feedback?
By Dr. Tom DePaoli As we know, 360-degree performance feedback is an evaluation method that incorporates feedback from a large cross section of workers including peers, subordinates, customers and supervisors. This technique would seem perfect for purchasing in this era of cross functional teams and multidimensional relationships in the supply chain. Not so fast. This […]
Share Your Hard Lessons Learned With Others Do Not Embellish Them
Share Your Hard Lessons Learned With Others Do Not Embellish Them The production scheduler of a large Paper Mill was forced to retire and was downsized. He had been there for over thirty years. Much to my surprise and chagrin, I was forced to take his place. It was a large integrated paper mill with […]
Selling the Procurement-Card Concept
by Dr. Tom DePaoli Brush up on your marketing skills to help sell the procurement card to your organization. Procurement cards are a proven best practice. Card providers are constantly upgrading their systems, reports, and software, and continuously improving the functionality of the cards. So why are so many purchasing departments unable to implement a […]
See Facebook Pages
Click on book cover to go to Facebook page. Growing Up Memories
Roadmap to Supplier Relationship Success
By Dr. Tom DePaoli Supplier relationship management is the process of developing a deep collaborative partnership or alliance with a supplier. The supplier becomes a true and trusted business partner. The relationship is characterized by open disclosure, cultural calibrating and joint beneficial projects. Ultimate alliance partnerships are at the highest level. These should be reserved […]
Reengineering Purchasing: The Journey from Bureaucrat to Explorer
By Dr. Tom DePaoli Anyone who thinks that reengineering purchasing is not the most radical and corporate changing process that a company can undertake is greatly mistaken. Reengineering can not be done in a piecemeal half-hearted manner. It requires the total changing of all aspects of purchasing. It is important to change everything about the […]
Reengineering Purchasing into Supply Management
Reengineering or Transforming Purchasing into Supply Management By Dr. Tom DePaoli Introduction The details of an actual case of a reengineering or transformation of a purchasing organization into supply management can be found in my two books available on Amazon. Common Sense Purchasing and Common Sense Supply Management Anyone who thinks that reengineering or transforming purchasing is not […]