This post pertains to many other areas of working in Corporate America besides Purchasing.
One of the most frustrating things that happens during a Sourcing effort is that someone with a "better" idea comes along once the process is underway. Of course, we all want to be say we are open to being flexible and reactive to changing environments (sounds like a job description excerpt), however we shouldn't be so accommodating of an idea that can derail or significantly delay the entire process.
The scope of a Strategic Sourcing project or any corporate project for that matter, should be clearly defined at the beginning. Changing the scope of a Sourcing effort half-way through is not a better idea. In fact, it is usually a terrible idea which will cost wasted work and time, as well as possible irreconcilable differences among the team members.
An example that happens in Sourcing projects is that someone will suggest new items should be added to a particular project. This results in all the spend analysis numbers having to be redone and possibly reopening the bid process to find new suppliers that can accommodate the new items. It can also be unfair to suppliers who have put in a certain amount of effort up to that point in the process and now may no longer be considered because they can't meet these new requirements.
Take the extra time as necessary to define the scope at the beginning of the process. Once it is set, just say "nope" to changing the scope!
Please feel free to share your experiences of when a co-worker's "better idea" affected your project.
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