With the role of key vendors growing in importance and with more vendors being introduced into the workplace, effective vendor management has become a critical capability of any enterprise. This document describes how the design (or redesign) of the VMO needs to be approached with a focus on enlisting top skills, implementing effective processes and tools and establishing an organization whose role is clearly defined in the enterprise.
How to implement a strategic IT vendor management programJeff Kubacki
CIO's and their IT leadership teams should focus more time on a strategic IT vendor management program. After doing this for 8 years by conducting annual IT vendor days and implementing World Class IT principles, I decided to share what has worked and why it is important in the transition to becoming strategic business partners.
How to implement a strategic IT vendor management programJeff Kubacki
CIO's and their IT leadership teams should focus more time on a strategic IT vendor management program. After doing this for 8 years by conducting annual IT vendor days and implementing World Class IT principles, I decided to share what has worked and why it is important in the transition to becoming strategic business partners.
Presenting this set of slides with name - Vendor Management Powerpoint Presentation Slides. Keep your audience glued to their seats with professionally designed PPT slides. This deck comprises of total of twenty eight slides. It has PPT templates with creative visuals and well researched content. . This content ready presentation deck is fully editable. Just click the DOWNLOAD button below. Change the colour, text and font size. You can also modify the content as per your need. The presentation is fully supported with Google Slides. It can be easily converted into JPG or PDF format. Get access to this well crafted complete deck presentation and leave your audience stunned.
Requirement Life Cycle Management knowledge area describes the tasks that business analysts perform in order to manage and maintain requirements and design information from inception to retirement.
A full course I developed based on about ten years of experience in project management in IT projects in the Netherlands and non-profit media projects in Kenya.
Purchasing, Procurement, Vendor, Contract and RFP Process Management with Sha...Optimus BT
Using the Document management, Collaborative and Self service features of SharePoint to implement a turn key procurement management business solution, that will streamline the procurement process, help you comply with regulations, enable you manage contracts, empower self service and participative procurement, aid in informed procurement decisions, in executing an effective procurement strategy and make your procurement function hassle free. Optimus BT is a leader in providing Procurement software and other turnkey solutions using SharePoint.
Are your measures strategic? Are you measuring the right things to make sure your organization is strategically successful? Top-down versus bottoms up tracking.
The concepts and processes on how to perform project scope management according to PMBOK Guide 6th edition. You'll find key concepts and terms, plan scope management, collect requirements, define scope, create WBS, validate scope, and control scope.
Even with the maturity of outsourcing, one of the most important yet often overlooked or minimized aspect of an outsourcing transaction continues to be the relationship management and governance model. The objective of the relationship management model is to ensure the anticipated benefits of an outsourcing relationship are realized in the most efficient manner. It must be based on the terms of the agreement and link the management processes of the two parties in order to govern the working relationship and achieve results. This article highlights the governance and relationship management model developed and implemented to support a sourcing strategy is the single most important factor in the realization of success in an outsourcing relationship. It also shares WGroup’s experience in advising on the creation and management of outsourcing relationships and governance and guiding clients in the development and implementation of sourcing strategies for existing contracts.
Increasing project success rates using project behavioral coachingWGroup
This strategy brief discusses the use of project behavioral coaching, which is a technique based on the science of human behavior that can be used with any methodology to drive up success. Covers the high level steps used in performing the project behavioral coaching™ (PBC) technique as a guide for project professionals that desire an introduction to learning the basics.
Presenting this set of slides with name - Vendor Management Powerpoint Presentation Slides. Keep your audience glued to their seats with professionally designed PPT slides. This deck comprises of total of twenty eight slides. It has PPT templates with creative visuals and well researched content. . This content ready presentation deck is fully editable. Just click the DOWNLOAD button below. Change the colour, text and font size. You can also modify the content as per your need. The presentation is fully supported with Google Slides. It can be easily converted into JPG or PDF format. Get access to this well crafted complete deck presentation and leave your audience stunned.
Requirement Life Cycle Management knowledge area describes the tasks that business analysts perform in order to manage and maintain requirements and design information from inception to retirement.
A full course I developed based on about ten years of experience in project management in IT projects in the Netherlands and non-profit media projects in Kenya.
Purchasing, Procurement, Vendor, Contract and RFP Process Management with Sha...Optimus BT
Using the Document management, Collaborative and Self service features of SharePoint to implement a turn key procurement management business solution, that will streamline the procurement process, help you comply with regulations, enable you manage contracts, empower self service and participative procurement, aid in informed procurement decisions, in executing an effective procurement strategy and make your procurement function hassle free. Optimus BT is a leader in providing Procurement software and other turnkey solutions using SharePoint.
Are your measures strategic? Are you measuring the right things to make sure your organization is strategically successful? Top-down versus bottoms up tracking.
The concepts and processes on how to perform project scope management according to PMBOK Guide 6th edition. You'll find key concepts and terms, plan scope management, collect requirements, define scope, create WBS, validate scope, and control scope.
Even with the maturity of outsourcing, one of the most important yet often overlooked or minimized aspect of an outsourcing transaction continues to be the relationship management and governance model. The objective of the relationship management model is to ensure the anticipated benefits of an outsourcing relationship are realized in the most efficient manner. It must be based on the terms of the agreement and link the management processes of the two parties in order to govern the working relationship and achieve results. This article highlights the governance and relationship management model developed and implemented to support a sourcing strategy is the single most important factor in the realization of success in an outsourcing relationship. It also shares WGroup’s experience in advising on the creation and management of outsourcing relationships and governance and guiding clients in the development and implementation of sourcing strategies for existing contracts.
Increasing project success rates using project behavioral coachingWGroup
This strategy brief discusses the use of project behavioral coaching, which is a technique based on the science of human behavior that can be used with any methodology to drive up success. Covers the high level steps used in performing the project behavioral coaching™ (PBC) technique as a guide for project professionals that desire an introduction to learning the basics.
One in six projects is a ‘black swan’, or a project that if it goes badly it could threaten corporate financial stability. Now more than ever, companies must critically examine their project portfolio management processes for optimizing success. This strategy brief discusses how WGroup has helped numerous clients design, build, and manage the discipline of project portoflio management. Also shares the common pitfalls WGroup has seen in their experience.
Across the corporate landscape IT functions are completing their transformation to a service-orientation. Slowly but surely, “governance” has become a core mission, if not yet the core competency, of the IT organization. Governance involves many fronts and addresses many levels – there is architectural governance, IT finance and projects governance, and of course, supplier governance. All call for new skills and new structures. WGroup collectively brings decades of hands-on experience in IT supplier management to assist our clients with the multi-supplier challenge – from building the governance structures to defining sourcing strategies to facilitating contract reviews to transition management. This states how WGroup would implement a multi-supplier governance model successfully.
11 things IT leaders need to know about the internet of things WGroup
The Internet of Things (IoT) is the next phase in the evolution of the Internet. More than 100 devices connect to the Internet every second. By 2020, Cisco estimates that number to be more than 250 per second. Morgan Stanley projects the Internet will be loaded with 75 billion devices by the end of the decade. This document discusses WGroup's perspective on what 11 things IT leaders need to know about IoT.
There are five disruptive forces shaping IT today, but none has more wide-ranging impact on all enterprises than the emergence of cloud as a preferred means of service delivery. This article discusses the cloud industry and how WGroup can help give client a competitive advantage using a service delivery strategy and new IT operating models.
In this document, the five disruptive trends shaping the corporate IT landscape today are layed out. Out of the five, Big Data has the biggest potential to generate new sustainable competitive advantages. But the benefits will remain out of reach of many organizations as they struggle to adopt the technology, develop new capabilities, and manage the cultural change associated with the use of big data. This document offers a pragmatic approach to generating business value.
Negotiating Better Solutions with IT PartnersWGroup
See how WGroup helped a major insurer fix service delivery performance issues while working with an incumbent partner – developing an innovative solution to improve service and reduce costs.
State of Cloud 2016 - WGroup Industry ReportWGroup
Cloud technology is core to delivery of services in almost every industry, but its ongoing evolution means your organization needs to be flexible and agile enough to change with it. New services and applications appear daily, and cost structures are constantly changing. This special WGroup industry report, State of Cloud, will help you understand its rapid evolution so you can refine your IT strategy and fully leverage the power of today’s cloud in your organization.
Management model for exploratory investment in IT WGroup
The ability to evaluate these new technologies in a practical environment where their technological value and impact on business and IT operations can be assessed is extremely important. Exploratory efforts should be structured and controlled similarly to other major projects and in addition should be evaluated for use in the production environment. In addition to evaluating the technical capabilities and practical application of the new technology, IT must evaluate the “fit” of the new technology in the existing service portfolio or catalog. In this article, WGroup has developed a new class of IT investment, referred to as “Exploratory,” along with a supporting management model to guide the effort through the evaluation phases and ensure a tight fit within the service catalog.
E-book discussing the new IoT, which is a network. Like the internet, the IoT connects people. This e-book expolores the booming growth of IoT, what it means for companies now, and how your business can leverage it to drive business goals.
IT Strategic Sourcing Can Relieve the Squeeze on HealthcareWGroup
See how WGroup helped a major healthcare system develop more cost effective IT sourcing strategies. WGroup's analysis and recommendation will help the client develop more sophisticated IT sourcing strategies — to leverage synergies between institutes, improve patient and employee experiences, and reduce costs.
Automation and autonomics are here and organizations that don’t take advantage of the new technology will fall behind. The immense benefits to efficiency, labor costs, and customer satisfaction cannot be ignored. WGroup has decades of collective experience in supporting the implementation and optimization of automation and autonomics. Our team can help your company solve the automation puzzle and gain the perspective it needs to effectively deploy new automation systems or increase the effectiveness of existing ones.
This article takes a look at the 5 disruptive trends that are effectively changing the role of the CIO and the IT function— a shift in responsibility for IT to business units; the convergence of IT and business process outsourcing; the onset of big data, analytics, social and mobility; the commoditization of IT; and the consumerization of IT. The 5 drivers of transformation are: responsibility for IT is moving the business, convergence of ITO and BPO, mobility and analytics, commodiziation of IT, and consumerization of IT.
Next generation IT outsourcing and the global enterprise model (GEM)WGroup
Disruptive technologies such as cloud computing and the “as-a-service” model for software, infrastructure and platforms have led to fundamental changes in how IT services are organized, managed and delivered—whether they are outsourced, insourced or a combination. The reality that IT services can be delivered to anywhere on the globe via the “Cloud” has accelerated the commoditization of IT. Ubiquitous access to IT services has lessened business units’ dependency on internal IT and shifted the IT organization’s prime role from process excellence to technology and service innovation. This article discusses through WGroup's perspective how outsourcing can create value through changing the way business is done.
Discover the top 6 IT vendor management practices that will ensure your company receives the highest quality of service and support. From crafting effective contracts to implementing a system of checks and balances, these tips will set you up for success! Utilize these strategies to gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing technological landscape.
This ISG white paper assesses recent trends in the mid-tier sourcing marketplace, and basic considerations faced by buyer organizations with
differing levels of outsourcing experience. Risks and opportunities are discussed, and potential sourcing strategy options and key success factors
are outlined.
Technology project executions rank high on CFOs’ most worrisome risks and enterprise resource planning system (ERP) projects are among them. Surveys regularly show that a significant number of strategic ERP projects fail to deliver expected outcomes, are delayed, and exceed budgets by a long shot. While most companies avoid catastrophic ERP failures, only a few wring out the most value. For top management, failing to deliver a strategic priority is rarely an option. Given a mature ERP solutions market place and mostly competent ERP installers, why do organizations frequently stumble?
The IT service outsourcing governance process should not just be focused on the quality of specific services, or the contract terms and conditions. View this presentation to learn more about IT outsourcing.
Creating a Monetization Framework For Your BusinessBluLogix
There’s little dispute that digital transformation has affected nearly every aspect of B2B commercial activity. Success in the digital economy requires that organizations move beyond traditional ways of doing business while accelerating market-facing responsiveness across all functional areas.
Effective governance is a critically important enabler in achieving “top performer” status. “Governance” is the third topic in a supply chain learning series presented by ScottMadden and Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON). In this session, we focus on the key building blocks of effective supply chain governance models including decision rights, performance metrics, service level agreements, and issue escalation/resolution. In addition, we discuss how to create alignment across an enterprise for a consistent supply chain strategy that clearly differentiates transactional efficiency from higher-value, strategic activities.
To learn more, please visit www.scottmadden.com.
Drawing on its specialized expertise in vendor management, in this case study WGroup assessed the client’s existing vendor management and sourcing practices, built the business case for a VMO, and designed and deployed a new VMO that was fully embraced by IT and business leadership.
Similar to Best-in-class vendor management office (20)
IT Integration Done Right
It may or may not surprise you, but about 70% – 90% of M&As fail, for one reason or another. The integration of two companies into one functional unit inevitably involves great change. Culture, business strategies, and many other variables need to be adapted to fit new environments, people, and goals.
Are you prepared to take on the pressure and complexity of an IT M&A? Our new M&A Playbook for IT is your roadmap to navigating the biggest IT integration challenges and driving business goals.
In this strategy brief, find out:
-The three common M&A pitfalls that CIOs must avoid
-How to improve synergy, lower costs, and shorten time to market
-How to determine the right level of IT integration for your company
Strategies to Address Regulation in SourcingWGroup
Regulatory Changes Impacting Sourcing and Automation – What could it mean for your business?
There is currently a tremendous amount of uncertainty among sourcing professionals as the outsourcing world as we know it is being challenged. Possible regulatory changes have the potential to significantly impact how organizations operate, and may completely change the future state of outsourcing. We explore important questions like:
- What if there is a tariff placed on outsourced or offshore resources?
- What could changes in H-1B visas mean for a global technology workforce?
- How could Bill Gates’ “Robot Tax” on automation impact process improvement initiatives?
- And more…
This is a review of the potential paths of sourcing regulation, detailing the top potential risks, and outlining strategies that could be employed to respond.
IAOP OWS 17 Leveraging Outsourcing to Modernize While Maintaining ApplicationsWGroup
Anthem’s New AMS Approach Proves You Don’t Need to Pick One or the Other:
Learn how a new approach to AMS sourcing can enable the modernization of core IT systems and maintenance of applications in parallel. See Anthem’s playbook and methodology for this innovative sourcing delivery model.
Learn how to stratify which suppliers can truly help you transform core systems, and which ones that may only be able to handle tasks. See the evaluation criteria that Anthem leveraged in assessing its suppliers for transformational work.
Understand the potential for running modernization and maintenance in an integrated effort, as opposed to separate initiatives.
The rising collection and analysis of data has shifted the way companies do business. Four key ingredients to develop a data strategy, how to leverage next-generation technologies, and three essential steps for rolling out implementation are included. The Data Ecosystem will show you how to develop and implement the strategies that will meet the needs of your business.
How to keep pace with changing technology and increase speed-to-value. In order to keep pace in a constantly evolving marketplace, organizations need a new model for sourcin IT services. Sourcing has become one of the most critical functions of the IT organization.
Is your project a losing battle? We've alI seen IT projects that failed, whether in our own organizations or observed elsewhere (hopefully the latter) One common attribute of failing projects is the Gambler's Paradox, where the gambler - the project manager - continues to gamble in the hope of recouping losses, resulting in even greater losses. We believe that milestone based project management LS superior to traditional project management.
Using market-based comparisons to drive transformation planning for a private healthcare hospital system. Are your technology costs in line with what best-practice outsourcing providers would charge for similar work? This is a case study showing how a market assessment led to a transformational roadmap - and the chance for a hospital system to save millions of dollars.
Most sourcing organizations focus on direct procurement, potentially overlooking indirect procurement and missing key opportunities to reduce spend. As indirect purchases increasingly become a larger percentage of overall spend, for many organizations, indirect procurement can be a diamond in the rough. This article makes the arguement that the value of indirect procurement should not be overlooked.
Five principles for improving your cyber securityWGroup
Corporate assets have been shifting from physical assets to virtual assets over the past 20 years. This trend has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in the vulnerability of intangible assets, leading to a greater general awareness of corporate cyber security risks. The alteration or destruction of a company’s data can result in harm to reputation, loss of public confidence, disruption to infrastructure, and legal sanctions. The security risk can adversely impact a company’s stock price and competitive position in the marketplace. In this document, WGroup cites 5 principles that will help improve a business's cyber security. The 5 principles are risk identification, risk management, legal implications, technical expertise, and expectations.
Outsourcing has evolved rapidly, especially during the last year. These changes are primarily due to technological advances, although the increasing globalization of business is also a factor. The attributes of the best IT outsourcing leaders also are shifting in response to this evolution. These attributes may generally be classified into personal characteristics and strategy. This document gives WGroup's perspective on 15 attributes shared by top IT leaders. The top 5 attributes are organization, cloud computing, standardization, renegotiation, and supplier risk.
Five ways to develop a successful outsourcing contractWGroup
WGroup perspective paper on how to develop a successful outsourcing contratct--A few key aspects of an outsourcing contract typically drive its projected savings and return on investment (ROI). You must carefully consider all of these areas to avoid mixed financial results on your outsourcing project. Strategizing the following five areas can help you develop a successful outsourcing contract. The 5 key ways are contract components, unit pricing, resource volume, dead bands, and renegotiation bands.
As sourcing is a highly specialized and complex process, many IT and business executives consider hiring a specialized sourcing advisory to support the development of a sourcing strategy, the execution of an insourcing initiative, or the management of an outsourcing transaction. The role that a sourcing advisor plays in the strategy development and orchestration over the sourcing process is vital to achieving the desired business outcomes. Conducting a thorough analysis of sourcing advisory firms is key to finding the best fit firm for your project. This strategy brief discusses how to find the best sourcing advisor that fits your needs.
Today’s most forward-thinking IT leaders view outsourcing not as a cost reduction tactic but rather as a strategic vehicle and catalyst for transforming the organization into a digital business. They have learned that taking an approach that drives alignment with business requirements, transforms the state of IT, and changes the “work” that is being done not only produces better service levels but also delivers exponentially greater cost savings. In this new white paper, "IT Outsourcing Is Not About Cost Savings", The Outsourcing Institute and WGroup have teamed up to provide guidance to help you rethink IT outsourcing and how you can deliver increased shareholder value.
Innovative sourcing transformation provides ongoing value through strategic p...WGroup
A major North American travel and transportation company was approaching the expiration of contracts covering IT services outsourced to a tier 1 Service Provider with which it had maintained a long-term contractual relationship over a period of 10+ years. Faced with evaluating a stagnating long term relationship with an outsourcing provider, the client turned to WGroup to ensure they were receiving the most value at up to date market competitive prices. WGroup helped rejuvenate the contractual relationship with the client and their provider.
In this case study, WGroup collaborated with business and IT stakeholders to build and compare business scenarios to evaluate in-house and third-party Pharmacy applications to support the client’s strategic, operational, and technical objectives, which resulted in estimated savings of $80M over 5 years. WGroup helped the client work through a complex analysis and evaluation process in just a few months. The client’s commercial pharmacy package will return value in a much shorter time than could be achieved by continuing with their internal solution development.
A global investment firm’s private equity group was unsure of whether a target Healthcare company was a valuable addition to their growing portfolio. They enlisted WGroup to assess the competitive position of the company overall as well as the functionality of a key software platform owned by the company. WGroup assessed the client’s software from all angles (security, scalability, competitiveness and cost implications) and found that several areas for improvement existed. WGroup created a roadmap for the initiatives that mapped out how the client could achieve these goals.
A diversified global manufacturing company was experiencing increasing IT spend and needed assistance to understand if their spend was in line with their S&P 500 peers. The company was in the process of hiring a new CIO, and the current COO wanted to understand, historically, where IT was spending the bulk of their budget, and if this was within best practice. The company was also interested in WGroup’s evaluation of the existing outsourced infrastructure contract. In this case study, WGroup worked with the COO and incoming CIO to identify, categorize and optimize IT spend across the enterprise resulting in greater value of reduced IT spend.
WGroup is brought in by a Fortune 100 corporation to restart a stalled RFP effort and guide its IT sourcing strategy. With a contract deadline looming, the client brought in WGroup to restart a stalled RFP effort and guide its IT sourcing strategy beyond incremental improvements toward service providers capable of delivering transformative advances in automation, efficiency, and effectiveness. Having these differentiated and variously priced options saved the client money and alleviated service concerns by appropriately targeting workloads to the delivery model that best fit the needs.
Elevating Tactical DDD Patterns Through Object CalisthenicsDorra BARTAGUIZ
After immersing yourself in the blue book and its red counterpart, attending DDD-focused conferences, and applying tactical patterns, you're left with a crucial question: How do I ensure my design is effective? Tactical patterns within Domain-Driven Design (DDD) serve as guiding principles for creating clear and manageable domain models. However, achieving success with these patterns requires additional guidance. Interestingly, we've observed that a set of constraints initially designed for training purposes remarkably aligns with effective pattern implementation, offering a more ‘mechanical’ approach. Let's explore together how Object Calisthenics can elevate the design of your tactical DDD patterns, offering concrete help for those venturing into DDD for the first time!
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
JMeter webinar - integration with InfluxDB and GrafanaRTTS
Watch this recorded webinar about real-time monitoring of application performance. See how to integrate Apache JMeter, the open-source leader in performance testing, with InfluxDB, the open-source time-series database, and Grafana, the open-source analytics and visualization application.
In this webinar, we will review the benefits of leveraging InfluxDB and Grafana when executing load tests and demonstrate how these tools are used to visualize performance metrics.
Length: 30 minutes
Session Overview
-------------------------------------------
During this webinar, we will cover the following topics while demonstrating the integrations of JMeter, InfluxDB and Grafana:
- What out-of-the-box solutions are available for real-time monitoring JMeter tests?
- What are the benefits of integrating InfluxDB and Grafana into the load testing stack?
- Which features are provided by Grafana?
- Demonstration of InfluxDB and Grafana using a practice web application
To view the webinar recording, go to:
https://www.rttsweb.com/jmeter-integration-webinar
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Assuring Contact Center Experiences for Your Customers With ThousandEyes
Best-in-class vendor management office
1. Drive Your Business
Best-in-Class Vendor
Management Office
Vendor Management Should be a Core
Competency of the IT Function
Strategy Brief | IT
1
Introduction
With the growing role of vendors
in the delivery of IT services
WGroup has long held that vendor
management should be considered a
core competency of the IT function,
as well across the entire organization.
This subsequently requires a
management process and staffing
commensurate with its importance.
WGroup uses the the straightforward
and well-established Star Model*
as a framework for organization
design and calls upon significant
experience in sourcing and IT service
delivery to identify and establish
vendor management capabilities.
This WGroup Strategy Brief will define
and explore the Vendor Management
Office (VMO) from a number of
perspectives including the foundation,
organization design, partnerships,
vendor and contract assessments,
processes and tools, performance
management, financial impact and
finally the implementation or roll-
out plan. This WGroup Strategy
Brief describes our recommended
considerations in each of these areas.
IT Strategy
Capabilities
People
(Rewards)
Partnership
Structure
Processes
Source: Kates, A., Galbraith, J. Designing Your Organization, 2007
Simplified Framework for Organization Design, Star Model
“With the role of key
vendors evolving and
with more vendors
being introduced into
the workplace, effective
vendor management has
become a critical capability
of any enterprise.”
Denis Desjardins
Principal, WGroup
2. Before designing the structure of the
VMO and its operating processes
it is important to consider and
come to agreement on a number
of “foundation” elements.
Note: Initially, it is helpful to define
key terms that are often misused or
inconsistently used. Among these are
“Contract Management”, “Contract
Maintenance”, “Contract Administration”
and “Tier 1-3 Agreements”.
Once terms have been defined the
required capabilities of the VMO
can be identified. This involves an
assessment of the direction of the
business i.e. what business initiatives
are planned or contemplated and an
assessment of the IT strategy. The
IT strategy should clearly indicate
where new or enhanced relationships
with vendors will be required.
VMO Capabilities are expressed
as competencies the VMO must
possess in order to support the IT
function in execution of the strategy.
Next, VMO objectives are
defined. These reflect the VMO-
related requirements of the IT
strategy and evolve based on
the stage of development the
organization is in. Objectives
are oriented internally toward
VMO performance improvement
and externally toward vendor
rationalization and value realization.
Guiding Principles set the tone for how
the VMO will interact with vendors
and internally, with key stakeholders.
They are value statements and are
generally communicated internal to the
organization and adopted by the staff.
Before designing the organization it
is also important to define the key
organizational-level policies that will
govern the operation of the VMO and
establish its authority in the enterprise.
These policies are distinguished from
operational-level policies which are tied
to operating procedures. These policies
are communicated to key stakeholders
by senior management and are enforced
with senior management backing.
Keys to Success are a representation
of what management needs to
keep in mind when designing and
implementing the VMO. They take
into consideration the culture of
the organization, maturity level of
2 WGroup
VendorPortfolioManagement
Vendors
Tier 1-4
Stakeholders
IT, ADM, Sourcing, Legal
QualityandProcessImprovement
Contracts
SOWs, SLAs, T’sC’s
Service Levels
Demand Management, Quality
Processes
Policies, Procedures, Tools
Organization
People, Structure, Skills, Partnerships
Foundation
Governance, Risk Management,
Capabilities, Objectives, Guidling Principles, Policies,
Keys to Success
WGroup Vendor Management Framework
Source: WGroup
3. 3Best-in-Class Vendor Management Office
processes, skills of the staff under
consideration and the required
capabilities of the function.
The Foundation establishes the
operating parameters and aspirations
for the VMO. Once the Foundation
has been established the work
of designing the organization
and key processes can begin.
Organization Design
At the macro level one of the key
decisions needing to be made
involves the contracting function
and its position in relation to the
on-going vendor management
function. The contracting function
includes qualification of vendors,
conducting of RFx processes, and
facilitation of vendor selection
and negotiation of contracts. The
on-going management function
includes managing the portfolio of
vendor relationships, monitoring
performance, validating invoicing
and facilitating value realization.
Often, the contracting function can be
found within a procurement or sourcing
organization with minimal ties to the
IT function. In order to maximize
effectiveness contracting and on-going
management need to be brought
together if not formally, through an
organizational change, then informally
through the establishment of processes
that promote interaction. When the
contracting and on-going management
functions are closely linked an
operating environment will exist that
minimizes vendor-associated risk and
better enables leveraged interaction.
The contracting function is staffed
with individuals skilled in vendor
selection processes and contract
negotiations. Additionally, they
require project management skills (or
access to them) for management of
larger, more complex transactions.
Key responsibilities of the
contracting function include:
• Vendor identification and evaluation
• Vendor qualification
• RFx lifecycle management
• Vendor selection facilitation
• Negotiation and contracting
• Contract maintenance (amendments,
certain SOWs, etc.)
• Contract repository management
• Vendor on/off-boarding
• Vendor disengagement
The on-going management function
is staffed with individuals skilled in
vendor and operations interaction.
They need to understand contract
terms, performance management
and finance and be able to apply
that knowledge in an operational
environment. The contract managers
are often assisted by contract
administrators who use advanced
organizational skills to maintain
contract calendars, data repositories
and key documentation.
Key responsibilities of the on-going
management function include:
• Contract portfolio management
• Contract calendar monitoring
and maintenance
• Vendor performance tracking
• Financial performance tracking
• Invoice processing – licenses
and maintenance
• Invoice validation – all other
• Contract management support
It is important for the
VMO function to
develop strong working
relationships with key
functions across the
organization.
4. 4 WGroup
Often a VMO Business
Office is established with the
following responsibilities:
• Financial management and analysis
• Vendor assessment and analytics
• Quality management
• Process, forms and
template management
• Forms origination and processing
All functions within the VMO also
have a role in dispute resolution,
audit and compliance support
and continuous improvement.
Partnerships
It is important for the VMO
function to develop strong working
relationships with key functions
across the organization. The first
set of relationships is focused on
the client base (i.e. those whom the
VMO serves). Here the VMO needs
to be responsive to needs, proactive
in developing relationships with
vendors on behalf of the organization
and focused on performance.
The next set of relationships is with
the functions with which the VMO
interacts to perform its duties. These
include legal, procurement and risk
management. Here the VMO must
Third-Party Contract Classifications (Illustrative Example)
fulfill its obligations promptly and
assist the support organization where
required. Clear lines of responsibility
must be drawn and understood by
all parties to eliminate confusion
and promote efficient operations.
The final set of relationships is
with external support organizations
such as consulting firms used for
specific skill sets (generally used in
larger transactions) and external
counsel. The VMO must be able to
manage the service provider while
maintaining relationships with
internal partners and vendors.
Vendor And Contract
Assessment
Vendor profiles are created to serve
as a quick reference of key vendors
organization, capabilities, strengths,
weaknesses and management team.
Profiles consist of a two to three
page synopsis with information
derived from the Internet, various
research firms such as Gartner and
Forrester and the vendor’s web site.
A list of key contacts within the
vendor organization responsible for
managing the relationship as well
as more senior executives in the
reporting change is also helpful.
Tibco
Teradata
Microsoft
IBM
Juniper Aruba
ACS
ABC
Agilysys
Switch
Oracle
ATT
SAS
Epicore
TSI
Soft. Dev. Tech
DellMicrosoft
SW DD
HP
Igate
NRTLink Tech
Intersoft, Half
Niche
Monitor and Maintain
Contingency Plan
Strategic
Engage and
Manage
Low-Touch
Consolidate
and Reduce
Diversified
Control and
Rationalize
L HRelationship Complexity
LHVendorCriticality
L HRelationship Complexity
LHVendorCriticality Source: WGroup
5. 5Best-in-Class Vendor Management Office
The design (or redesign) of the VMO needs to be approached with a focus on
enlisting top skills, implementing effective processes and tools and establishing
an organization whose role is clearly defined in the enterprise.
Contracts are classified according to
criticality of the service/product to
the business, complexity of the vendor
relationship and amount of annual
spend (see bubble chart on Page 4).
For criticality and complexity a
subjective polling of key operational,
sourcing and vendor management
leadership is conducted to place each
contract on a 1-10 scale where 10
represents the most complexity or
greatest criticality. A bubble chart
(at the top of Page 4) depicts the
contracts in one of four quadrants
with the size of the bubble
representing total annual spend.
Generally the upper right quadrant
represents those vendors whose
contracts are the most complex and
critical. For these vendors a more
intense oversight model is required
such as would be found in an
outsourcing agreement. Vendors in
the upper left quadrant are generally
niche providers where it is imperative
on the organization to develop and
maintain contingencies for major
changes in their (vendor’s) business (e.g.
acquisition, merger, bankruptcy, etc.).
The lower right quadrant consists
of vendors where the relationship
complexity drives the VMO to
invest in controls while looking
to rationalize and simplify the
relationships. Finally, the lower left
quadrant consists of “commodity-
type” relationships where the focus
should be on consolidating services to
gain additional leverage and further
reducing the total number of vendors.
Processes
The VMO performs a number of
functions oriented toward ensuring
an optimal working environment
where vendors are involved and
maximizing the return on investment
in the relationships. These functions,
listed below, are fulfilled through the
application of key processes whose
execution must be carefully managed.
Functions performed include
market and vendor analysis, RFP
lifecycle management, contract
negotiations, transition oversight
and contract administration.
Governance processes are established
to develop and manage the
vendor strategy to be employed,
monitor and manage performance
of the organization and control
demand for VMO services.
Front-end processes include vendor
qualification, the RFP lifecycle, vendor
selection, contract negotiation and, at
the back-end, vendor disengagement.
On-going management processes
include those associated with managing
the relationship with the vendors as
well as the operations of the VMO.
Relationship management processes
focus on the contract calendar and
ensure deliverables and contract events
are anticipated and planned for as well
as oversight of vendor operational
performance. The operations of the
VMO are monitored and improved via
performance management and quality
assurance initiatives and programs.
Detailed RACI charts (Responsible,
Accountable, Consulted, and
Informed) are developed to define
responsibilities and accountabilities for
all processes at a more discrete level.
6. 6 WGroup
Tools
Tools within the VMO range from
simple spreadsheets used to track
total contract value by vendor and/or
contract calendar events to full contract
management and workflow tools.
While the contract value and calendar
tools can be used within the IT VMO,
it is important to leverage workflow
management tools across other
functional VMOs and procurement
organizations to ensure consistency
in the enterprise and maximize
leverage with those software vendors.
Contract repositories are critical and
need to be managed to ensure currency
of documentation and facilitate its
use. The number of repositories
should be limited (one repository
within the Legal function is optimal)
and within each repository the ability
to maintain (add, delete) should be
limited and carefully controlled. Read
access to contract documents within
the repository should be granted on a
need-to-know basis. The inclusion in
the repository of supporting documents
to the contract process (e.g. early
drafts of contracts, RFPs, project
plans, vendor evaluation documents,
etc.) should be discussed with Legal.
Performance Management
Performance management is performed
on two levels; externally directed at
vendors where their performance
against contract requirements is
monitored and managed, and;
internally where the performance of
the VMO is monitored and managed.
While the operational area directly
engaged with the vendor (e.g.
infrastructure management) is directly
responsible for the vendor’s meeting of
contractual SLA commitments and the
delivery of value, it is the responsibility
of the VMO to monitor the overall
performance of the vendor to ensure
contractual terms are being adhered-to
and interpreted correctly. The VMO
performs an integral role in assessing
service level failures and advising
operations management on recovery of
service credits (performance penalties).
The VMO also maintains an overall
perspective across vendor relationships
and monitors vendor interaction in an
effort to identify areas where vendors
may be working “against” each other or
impacting one another’s performance.
VMO performance is managed via
service level commitments made
to the business. Service levels are
oriented toward the front-end, or
contracting, process as well as the on-
going management process. Examples
of contracting service levels include
turnaround time for contracting
services, quality of contracting services
as measured by a transaction-based
survey and adherence to the RFP
lifecycle schedule. Examples of
on-going management service levels
include adherence to contract calendars,
quality of management services as
measured by a periodic (annual) survey,
incidence of compliance issues and
invoice adherence to contractual terms.
As with all new organizations, service
levels should be baselined for a period
(e.g. 90 days), adjusted to reflect
performance then communicated
to the stakeholder community.
The service levels should also be
reviewed annually and adjusted to
reflect improvements to processes,
tools and vendor relationships.
7. 7Best-in-Class Vendor Management Office
that all requests for contracting services
be submitted to a new group, it is
imperative that capacity be available
to meet demand. In other words
there needs to be enough people
available to handle the increased
workload so that service levels are
met and stakeholder satisfaction
does not start out in a deficit. Policy
roll-outs should coincide with the
ramp-up schedule for new resources.
Summary
With the role of key vendors
growing in importance and with
more vendors being introduced
into the workplace, effective vendor
management has become a critical
capability of any enterprise. The
design (or redesign) of the VMO
needs to be approached with a focus
on enlisting top skills, implementing
effective processes and tools and
establishing an organization whose role
is clearly defined in the enterprise.
The WGroup methodology discussed
in this paper incorporates best
practices derived from years of actual
experience working in multi-vendor
environments across a multitude of
industries. This methodology, when
executed diligently, will result in the
establishment of a top-performing
vendor management organization.
Please contact WGroup to learn
more about the WGroup VMO
methodology and case study examples.
Finally, a continuous improvement
program should be established to drive
process efficiency and quality. This
program can be a natural continuation
of the process design workshops
usually conducted during the design
phase of the project. These sessions
should be held at least monthly and
can include representatives of related
organizations such as procurement,
operations and accounts payable.
Financial Business Case
The financial business case should
include one-time expenditures for
hiring, tools, consulting services,
etc. and on-going costs for salaries
and benefits, tool maintenance and
facilities (if appropriate). In order to
minimize the impact of the VMO
implementation on current budgets it
is recommended that the organization
is phased-in in such a manner as
to ensure major expenditures can
be planned for, and included, in
the next budget planning cycle.
Implementation
As introduced in the preceding
Financial Business Case section,
implementation of the new or
revamped VMO should coincide with
the annual planning and budgeting
cycle in order to address major new
expenditures with minimal impact
on the business. Acute issues such
as problem contracts or vendors
should be prioritized and addressed
in a focused manner with appropriate
regard for costs and the benefits to
be realized from prompt resolution.
Another consideration in
implementation is the phasing-in
of certain policies impacting service
demand. In essence, when introducing
a new policy such as the requirement
“VMO’s are quickly becoming the most sought after capability in IT. The
impact opportunity is significant in driving expense reduction, lower
portfolio risk and improved performance for IT services.”
Phil Newmoyer
Principal, WGroup