In an era of shifting landscapes and rapid change, flexibility is crucial in the pursuit of staying ahead. This is especially true for the procurement industry, where customization and agility are vital to drive process efficiency and innovation. Simply put, businesses can no longer rely on rigid/traditional systems should they wish to be more than a going concern.

This is where “composability” becomes a game-changing solution.  

The Value in Composability

Procurement as a function is evolving with organizations striving to optimize their procurement processes and achieve maximum efficiency (including cost savings). These requirements are driving a quest for tech-driven innovation, and herein the significance of composability cannot be overstated.
The idea of composability stems from the hassles of connecting several software tools and multiple APIs or purchasing a monolithic architecture-based, legacy procurement software suite, which is inherently inflexible in nature. Instead, enterprises can select best-of-breed software modules provided by the same vendor to meet their pressing procurement requirements. 

In the latter case, there is better software module-level integration, uniformity in user experience (UX), and easy integration with other enterprise/SaaS applications and data sources. 

A composable source-to-pay (S2P) platform offers a modular architecture (ideally exploiting microservices) with component-level APIs to enable organizations to pick from à la carte menu of software modules that work well with each other and meet the end objectives. Such a composable S2P platform is easier to implement and delivers faster time-to-value. Driving adoption of individual software modules becomes straightforward as there is uniformity in UX, taking less time for users to get started and derive value.

Leveraging a Low-code App Platform for Rapid Development

Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offers an end-to-end development and deployment environment in the cloud, without the hassles involved in managing the infrastructure layer required for developing and executing the applications. An application PaaS (aPaaS) offers the capability to design, develop, deploy, and manage custom business applications in the cloud. 

Low-code app platforms enable a model-driven or configuration-based approach for developing new applications. In this case, the level of skills required for developing applications is lower than that of professional, specialized developers. This aligns well with the theme of enabling citizen developers to build new applications to meet line-of-business (LoB) requirements.

A low-code app platform not only cuts down the time and effort involved in meeting custom applications requirements, but greatly benefits professional developers from a model-driven approach to application development. When used by a SaaS vendor, such an approach can be exploited for offering pre-built applications for meeting niche requirements of customers (explore Zycus AppXtend for more insights).

Introducing Zycus AppXtend – A one-stop shop for procurement-related applications

Zycus AppXtend is a composable, low-code application platform (aPaaS) for meeting unique needs and maximizing value for procurement, sourcing, and finance functions.  

Zycus AppXtend offers:

• Pre-built applications for industry-specific use cases, category-specific nuances, geography-specific regulations, and third-party integrations (an à la carte app store).
• APIs and other tools to enable partners/external developers to build new apps.
• The provision to request new applications for niche business requirements.

The AppXtend platform’s APIs seamlessly enable new app development while its composable nature fosters significant innovation. In a typical scenario, commercial SaaS offerings for S2P automation do not offer the flexibility to customize as per specific customer requirements. For niche requirements, enterprises either need to develop competency to build internally or outsource to a professional services provider, both of which are time consuming and expensive propositions. 

This is where Zycus AppXtend deviates from the industry norm, allowing customers to submit their requests (and subsequently, delivering those applications via the AppXtend Store) for new business applications, howsoever niche their requirements are.

For instance, Business Rule Validator (or BRV app) is a good case in point. Using this application, administrators can easily set up multiple business rules for various objects, such as POs, invoices, and contracts. These business rules serve as regulatory checks, guiding users to perform tasks in a manner that adheres to company policies.                 On task completion or submission, the BRV App will automatically validate the data using the configured business rules. In short, the BRV App takes the guesswork out of business operations, ensuring that tasks are carried out efficiently and according to company policies.

On the e-invoicing side, the Mexico clearance application addresses the need for validating and accepting invoices, credit memos, and payment receipts from Mexico within the Zycus system while ensuring compliance with the Mexican Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT). 

Furthermore, the Related Documents App simplifies the management and access of all the documents associated with a PO or PR. With just one click, users can retrieve a comprehensive list of all related documents, without the need to navigate through multiple screens.

With the Multi PO Selector, creating invoices from multiple purchase orders is easy. With a simple click while creating an invoice, users can easily view and select multiple POs. Moreover, users can invoice one or more items from different POs in a single invoice just by clicking on the individual PO.
Zycus AppXtend also offers access to Merlin Assist, an interactive intelligence agent, which helps users efficiently access the various tools and features offered by Zycus, further simplifying the overall procurement process. The Merlin Assist Chatbot helps users streamline common actions/tasks and consolidate essential notifications in one centralized location. 

Achieving Excellence: The Hackett Group’s Story with Zycus Generative AI

Witness The Hackett Group’s journey toward achieving excellence in procurement. This video highlights their strategic use of Zycus Generative AI to overcome obstacles and set new benchmarks in the industry.See Their Journey – Click to Watch!

For existing customers, Zycus has built-in capabilities to intelligently identify the applications that are most likely to enhance their procurement experience and curates a tailor-made list of recommended apps for each user. 

To unlock the full potential of your procurement processes, embracing cutting-edge solutions is paramount. Begin your quest to procurement excellence today with the boundless possibilities of composable architecture.

For more information on Zycus AppXtend, a website rendition is publicly available at: https://appxtend.zycus.com

Related reads:

1. Maximizing ROI Through Composable Procurement: AppXtend Case Study
2. Driving Agility in Procurement with a Composable Application Platform
3. Zycus positioned in the “Leaders” Quadrant of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Strategic Sourcing Application Suites
4. Why do Procurement Teams Need to be Agile?
5. White Paper – Decoding AI in Procurement
6. Whitepaper – Designing an AP Shared Service Center for Cost, Control and Compliance