by Janice Marquardt | Nov 10, 2026 | Processes
Procurement software is the toolbox of our profession. Any tradesperson cannot do their job without their toolbox, and when procurement professionals lack good tools, we don’t do our jobs well. I encounter many companies that are running bids or even inventory...
by Janice Marquardt | Oct 13, 2026 | Org Chart, Processes
In our AI age, people give me the side-eye when I pull out my Sharpie and Post-its. They’re trying to be polite about it, but I know they’re wondering: “This gal makes spreadsheets for her vacations. Why pull out the Post-its?” Everyone expects me to pop open the...
by Janice Marquardt | Oct 6, 2026 | Processes, Supply Chain Career
Supply chains are complicated. Those of us who do procurement or logistics are constantly arguing that our job is not just “shopping” or “booking trucks,” just as warehousing is not just “stacking pallets.” Every step of what we do has a process, written or unwritten,...
by Janice Marquardt | Sep 29, 2026 | Processes, Supply Chain Career
So your CFO/COO/CEO has told you to go find value in your supply chain, and they probably mostly mean savings. You might not have the infrastructure to run e-auctions (although if you want to run a couple without having to purchase software licenses, drop me a line),...
by Janice Marquardt | Sep 15, 2026 | Processes
I’ve never met a supply chain team that didn’t already know some things were broken. I’ve started asking in most of my initial assessment interviews, “Is there anything else you wish your COO/CEO/Supply Chain Leader knew?” Most leaders I know think their team will...
by Janice Marquardt | Sep 1, 2026 | Processes, Supply Chain Career
I’ve worked in and with quite a few supply chain teams. I’ve worked with small teams, large ones, from old companies and new ones; yet none of those factors actually affect a team’s “busyness.” More importantly, an extremely busy team is not always a very productive...