Comments on: Defining Collaboration http://www.esourcingforum.com/archives/2006/10/04/defining-collaboration/ The source of information and best practices in strategic sourcing. Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:27:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: David Bush - Iasta http://www.esourcingforum.com/archives/2006/10/04/defining-collaboration/#comment-5824 David Bush - Iasta Sun, 01 Apr 2007 13:34:15 +0000 http://www.esourcingforum.com/?p=273#comment-5824 Thanks for your comments, Frank. Please come back and continue to share your thoughts and opinions. Thanks for your comments, Frank. Please come back and continue to share your thoughts and opinions.

]]> By: Frank Bennett http://www.esourcingforum.com/archives/2006/10/04/defining-collaboration/#comment-5673 Frank Bennett Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:53:25 +0000 http://www.esourcingforum.com/?p=273#comment-5673 I agree with your point of view that collaboration can be purely transactional and for the majority even today automated communication is a dream. It is my experience that true supply chain collaboration is reserved for closed communities such as the automative industry, food processing to name two. As we move to a mass market with the introduction eProcurement and eInvoicing we are seeing a hundreds of buying organisations engaging tens of thousands of suppliers in a new electronic collaboration. Many of the buying organisations are in service industries where just in time is not a issue with most things they need for the business available for next day delivery. It is collaboration that is not time critical or vital to the customer's process (as it would be for a production line) but one that reduces admin costs. Actually it is much more when you include the topics of spend control, compliance and audit. Just as manufacturers and processors have there requirements for traceability etc. so do other businesses and collaboration is all about about putting systems and processes in place so you know what you spent money on and who with. You don't get the big picture without your suppliers onboard. Collaboration comes in all shapes and sizes. I agree with your point of view that collaboration can be purely transactional and for the majority even today automated communication is a dream. It is my experience that true supply chain collaboration is reserved for closed communities such as the automative industry, food processing to name two.

As we move to a mass market with the introduction eProcurement and eInvoicing we are seeing a hundreds of buying organisations engaging tens of thousands of suppliers in a new electronic collaboration. Many of the buying organisations are in service industries where just in time is not a issue with most things they need for the business available for next day delivery.

It is collaboration that is not time critical or vital to the customer’s process (as it would be for a production line) but one that reduces admin costs. Actually it is much more when you include the topics of spend control, compliance and audit.

Just as manufacturers and processors have there requirements for traceability etc. so do other businesses and collaboration is all about about putting systems and processes in place so you know what you spent money on and who with. You don’t get the big picture without your suppliers onboard.

Collaboration comes in all shapes and sizes.

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