Are the five rights of purchasing obsolete?

Much has changed in purchasing since the “5 Rights of Purchasing” were a hot topic in the field. I wouldn’t say that the five rights are obsolete. I would say that the five rights are just a small part of what is expected of purchasing departments in 2010.

The perfect example in the article was how the Right Price has evolved into the Right Total Cost & Value. Price is still a component of total cost and value, but it lives alongside other components that have more recently garnered much-deserved attention.

That’s a micro example. A macro example is how the original five rights now live alongside 20 other rights.

Purchasing is different today than it was 15-20 years ago. As the field evolves, so must its models. The 25 New Rights of Purchasing is a model for today’s generation of purchasing professionals, but it too will need to be updated for the next generation when the time comes. Until then, it will serve all of us in the purchasing profession well as we deal with the current practices and challenges in purchasing.

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