CRO-to-CRO Video Series: Episode 3 Peels Back the Digital Procurement Platform Onion

So you’ve decided your procurement function needs to “go digital” with its software solution needs.

But where to begin? How do you buy this stuff?

“You start with having your business challenges in mind,” says Michel Janssen, one half of the “CRO-to-CRO” discussion pairing we’ve been spotlighting with a series of videos over the last couple of weeks.

Recently, Janssen — chief research guru of Everest Group, a research and management consulting firm based in Dallas, Texas — had a chance to sit down with his  former colleague Pierre Mitchell, chief research officer of Spend Matters.

In Episode 3 of this video series, the two CROs share a comprehensive framework they call a digital capability platform, which paints a holistic picture for prospective buyers. Ultimately, through this framework, Janssen and Mitchell uncover what is available to buy (point solution or suite?), how a buyer can bundle solutions and/or capabilities, and who owns — or should own — the responsibility for digital decision making.

Understanding this entire flow, especially the ownership part, is crucial to avoid a “digital disaster,” as Janssen says, or “SharePoint anarchy,” as Mitchell puts it.

Check out the episode now:

Episode 3: Viewing Digital From a Platform Perspective — The Digital Capability Platform

The CRO-to-CRO Video Series Overview

With a combined six decades of experience between them (the “dinosaurs that we are!” as Mitchell puts it), both CROs are able to view various market trends from a unique perch. The goal of the video discussion series is to drill down into “the who, the what and the how” behind the hottest trends in digital procurement transformation.

Looking more broadly at the arc of the whole series, Mitchell and Janssen set out to cover:

• Introducing the digital transformation ecosystem. What are the biggest investment priorities for service providers and enterprises? Watch Episode 1 here.
• Examining the changing role of procurement. The role itself is changing and expanding; what does that mean to procurement’s value creation — and impact to risk? What are the three key dimensions of digital procurement trends? Watch Episode 2 here.
• Exploring the different layers of digital capability platforms. What is available to buy? What are the different ways to bundle/procure digital solutions? Who is responsible for making the digital decisions within the enterprise? Watch Episode 3 here – or above!
• Focusing on Contingent Workforce Management as a category example. What are the key challenges to effective talent management? Is there a need to rethink the approach to the entire talent model? Watch Episode 4 here.
• Concluding with how they can help organizations in their digital transformation journey. Watch Episode 5 here.