Can you play from the baseline if you don't know where it is?

Can you play from the baseline if you don’t know where it is?

In so many areas of life, being successful is about continually improving versus your previous best.  The baseline is key.  Outsourcing is no different, without a robust baseline it’s difficult to measure performance and apportion risk and reward in a sustainable and balanced way. The competition to take over the procurement of defence equipment for…

"they put the pieces together in a different way that succeeded"

“they put the pieces together in a different way that succeeded” – Bill Gates

In an interview for CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ program, Bill Gates talked about his relationship with Steve Jobs.  In it he talks about tablets, “We did tablets – lots of tablet – well before Apple did” he states, before conceding “they put the pieces together in a different way that succeeded.”  In the world of tablets,…

Subscription based business models

Subscription Based Business Models for Software – have we reached a tipping point?

Back in October 2012 I wrote an article titled “Software by the Month – A better proposition than your gym membership?” in which I highlighted the increasing trend towards subscription based business models in terms of software licensing.  In the article I investigated the opportunities for software publishers and users alike that the model could open…

Can you prototype a contract? - do we have the right contracting skills?

Can you prototype a contract? – do we have the right contracting skills?

In one of my sessions at the recent IACCM EMEA conference which looked at contracting skills I posed the question that whilst we would rarely let a product get to market without some form of testing or prototyping, how many commercial or contract management professionals consider testing their contracting structures or agreements? If we look…