September 19, 2025

Designing Purchase-Approval Workflows That Scale with Growth

Emerging Market, Procure to Pay, Request Management, Workflow Management / By Zycus

TL;DR Mid-market approval workflows often break once revenue passes $100M, creating bottlenecks and compliance risks. Informal email/chat approvals cause delays, maverick spend, and lost budget visibility. Scalable workflows need guided intake, automated routing, finance integration, and audit-ready tracking. Lean teams benefit from cycle time to PO as the key KPI for efficiency and optimization. Common […]

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Change Management for AI Adoption: Preparing Mid-Market Teams for New Tools

Artificial Intelligence, Change Management, Emerging Market / By Zycus

TL;DR Many mid-market procurement AI projects fail due to weak change management, not poor technology. Success depends on reframing AI as a helper, not a threat to employees. Building a network of champions accelerates trust and adoption. Lean teams need lightweight, ongoing training instead of consultant-heavy programs. Tracking and celebrating quick wins with clear KPIs

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The Roadmap to Tail Spend Transformation: From Intake to AI Agents

Spend Management / By Amit Shah

Procurement leaders have always known tail spend is messy — but in 2025, it has become impossible to ignore. The Hackett Group’s 2025 Tail Spend Management Study confirms the urgency: only 4% of companies actively manage most of their tail spend, while executives believe 16–20% savings is possible if managed strategically. So, how do we move from unmanaged chaos to

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Why Tail Spend Board-Level Issue Demands Attention | Hackett

Reality Check 2025: Why Tail Spend Is Now a Board-Level Procurement Priority

Procurement Strategies / By Amit Shah

For years, tail spend lived in the shadows of procurement strategy. Small transactions, fragmented suppliers, and indirect categories were treated as tactical annoyances rather than strategic levers. But in 2025, the landscape has shifted. The Hackett Group’s 2025 Tail Spend Management Study shows that 80% of procurement leaders now say tail spend has become more important to their

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Procurement Satisfaction Paradox Hits 64%: Hackett Study

The Procurement Satisfaction Paradox: Why 64% of Leaders Still Dislike Their Tail Spend Approach

Procurement Strategies / By Amit Shah

Procurement leaders agree tail spend is important. It represents nearly 20% of total enterprise spend and touches more than 80% of suppliers. Yet most leaders remain unhappy with how they’re managing it. The Hackett Group’s 2025 Tail Spend Management Study reveals the paradox clearly: while procurement executives say tail spend is now a board-level priority, 64% of leaders are either neutral

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Top 3 Procurement Tail Spend Categories in Hackett’s 2025 Study

Top 3 Procurement Categories Bleeding Value in Tail Spend — And How to Fix Them

Spend Management / By Amit Shah

Procurement teams know tail spend is costly, but few realize just where the leaks are happening. While unmanaged tail spend can appear across dozens of indirect categories, research consistently shows that three categories account for a disproportionate share of the waste: office supplies, facilities maintenance, and marketing services. The Hackett Group’s 2025 Tail Spend Management Study highlights the opportunity: companies

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