We have come a long way from being a transactional procurement organization to a somewhat strategic partner over the years, but there is still a lot that could be done to better ourselves. Adapting to change, or at least being receptive to change, is one of the key aspects for bettering ourselves as procurement professionals.
So how do we change? We start by looking at the different areas in procurement that could be “bot-able” or not. By “bot-able” I don’t mean, have a fancy talking and walking robot moving around your office that can occupy your desk space. These are virtual bots in most cases, who can do the mundane, redundant tasks that you as a human shouldn’t be wasting your time with.
Procurement bots have a great place in the source-to-pay process for improving reliability, reducing the cost to serve, and improving the efficiency of the procurement processes. They will transform the future procurement org structure and will help organizations focus more on the strategic aspects of procurement with a lot of support.
Below is a breakup of the different sub-process areas within sourcing and procurement that could be “bot-able” or not.
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas:
Bot-able areas:
Not bot-able areas: