Three secrets for transformation success

Forget procuring raw materials and start procuring outcomes-based services. Smart businesses have already made this leap, reaping cost savings, increased revenue, and rapid transformation. Now it’s your turn.

Traditional procurement focuses on securing resources—raw materials, tools, and labour. But with outcomes-based procurement, you contract suppliers to deliver your desired business outcomes—the end state you envision. It’s not about isolated components; it’s about achieving results. This approach shares delivery responsibility equally between the business and the supplier. Accountability distributed. Risk reduced.

Successful outcomes-based service models share some common features

1. Clearly articulated business need

Successful outcomes-based projects start with a clear business need. It’s not just an IT initiative; it’s driven by the entire organisation. There is a widely agreed and accepted business problem to be solved and a clear vision of the ideal future state which allows everyone to work towards a common goal.

2. Strong user-centric approach

Successful projects put people at the centre of the solution. You clearly articulate the user, their business problem or task, and the outcome they seek and then you build a solution which meets this need. When we solve for people then our solutions are relevant, impactful, and sustainable.

3. Supported by a digitally savvy team

Transformation means ‘digital’ - high-quality data, well-considered prompts, and trusted integrations. We need digital- and data-savvy people to lead this new way of working. Organisations investing in digital training and embedding core digital skills into job descriptions are already ahead of the curve.

Outcomes require the right partners

For suppliers who just sell technology (and have no interest in making it work), the outlook is grim. But for those with a genuine passion for digital transformation, the opportunity to deliver real change is intoxicating.

Our mothers always taught us to ask for what we want. If you want outcomes from your next transformation project, then ask for them, in the way you procure suppliers and in the way you expect them to operate.

The suppliers who are willing to partner with you and assume responsibility for your outcomes are the ones you want to deal with. The others will rapidly be left behind.