Analytics (Bris)

Procurement analytics is a vast subject that could be explored in many different ways. As this round-table is principally about learning from each other, we have developed a framework of questions that will act as a guide to this exploration. A number of sub-themes/topics/questions will arise out of your discussions, which should be captured in the minutes and added as agenda items for future sessions. 

Q1. What are the different purposes for using analytics?

• How well do we buy? –How good is the match between negotiated contracts, standard cost assumptions, and actual expenditure?
• What do we buy? – Specifications, quantities, maverick spend, demand management
• How well do our suppliers perform? – are we getting what we paid/contracted for?
• Others? Eg: What is our environmental footprint?

Q2.  What are we analysing and what are we trying to achieve? 

• Applied to each of the above purposes for using analytics, what can we measure/analyse and why are we doing it? What are we aiming to achieve?

Q3. Where do we source the data?

• Data sources?
• Quality of data?
• How good does our data need to be?
• How do we cleanse it?

Q4. What comes first the data or the problem?

• Are we first identifying a potential issue and finding the data to support a case?
• Or are we crunching the data, hoping that something will reveal itself?
• What sort of insights could we be looking for?
• How do we find them?

The following questions are probably more generic (as opposed to being applied to specific purposes).

Q5.  What tools are available to help us?

• The analysts favourite – Excel!
• What tools are we likely to find within our existing erp systems?
• What dedicated spend analytics solutions are members aware of/using?

Q6. How do we present the data for maximum impact?

• Using the data to make a business case (not blind people with data)
• Who are our stakeholders and what do they need to know?
• How should we present the data – Data visualisation
• What data visualisation tools are available?

 Your Expert Facilitator

 The session will be facilitated by Simon Thompson, Director, Asia Pacific at Acquire Procurement Services. As Simon states on his Linkedin profile, challenging the status quo is what he does. His specialty is providing alternatives, some of which come from completely different industries, and often involve adopting techniques that challenge currently accepted business philosophies. He loves the quote “The future is here, it is just not evenly distributed.”, which he understands as “the answer to your problem already exists, but perhaps not in the place where you expect to find it.!” It’s all about being inquisitive and having the courage to explore other options. You can watch Simon describe his philosophy (Supply by Design) or  see more about Simon by clicking on the following links:

 https://acquireprocure.com/philosophy-supply-by-design/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simondthompson/ 

Please submit when registering any questions or issues that you would like to address specifically in relation to analytics and we will include them in the agenda.