July 5.\u00a0 The day after Independence Day in the USA.<\/p>\n
What the h*ck does such a day have to do with procurement?<\/p>\n
Well, let me walk you through what I\u2019ve observed in the last 24 hours.<\/p>\n
On Independence Day \u2013 better known as \u201cthe Fourth of July\u201d \u2013 many of us set off fireworks on our curbs at night.\u00a0 We marvel at the spectacular explosions.\u00a0 We smile at all of the fun that we save up for one day a year.\u00a0 We light stuff on fire for the pure joy of watching it burn.<\/p>\n
And it is glorious.<\/p>\n
By the time we\u2019re done \u2013 usually around 11PM, except for the one\u00a0obnoxious neighbor that most of us have \u2013 we\u2019re ready to end the day.\u00a0 It\u2019s dark.\u00a0 We\u2019re tired.\u00a0 And, after all of the debauchery, the last thing we want to do is clean up.<\/p>\n
Cleaning up would be pretty anti-climactic, right?<\/p>\n
So, we retire to bed.\u00a0 And we wake up the next morning and look outside.<\/p>\n
The new day\u2019s sun illuminates our curbs where all of the remnants of the previous night\u2019s fireworks still lie.\u00a0 Scraps of burnt cardboard are strewn about.\u00a0 There are ashes and scorch marks on the pavement.\u00a0 And perhaps even forgotten beer cans litter the walkways.<\/p>\n
It ain\u2019t pretty.<\/p>\n
So, we have two choices:\u00a0 leave the mess for another day and bask in the memories of the preceding fun, or clean up.<\/p>\n
If we leave the mess, it won\u2019t take long before the more diligent neighbors get a lower opinion of us.\u00a0 One of them may look out the window constantly, waiting us to remove the publicly visible trash that makes the neighborhood look like a low-class community.\u00a0 Someone may even notify the authorities about our litter.\u00a0 Relationships with people that you have to live by for years or decades ahead can get damaged if you\u2019re negligent.<\/p>\n
So, you do what you\u2019ll have to do eventually.\u00a0 You clean up.<\/p>\n
Now, for the procurement correlation\u2026<\/p>\n
Think of fireworks like an exciting sourcing process.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s eager anticipation for a supplier selection, like watching the wick of a sparkling fountain slowly burn.\u00a0 There\u2019s the drama of the position changes that happen in negotiations, like watching changing colors and sparks emanate from a skyward explosion.\u00a0 There\u2019s the calculation of the massive cost savings, like the grand finale when multiple fireworks explode in such rapid succession you lose count of how many explosions you are seeing simultaneously.<\/p>\n
But after the fireworks of sourcing end, what are you left with?<\/p>\n