Continuing our series of analyst observations on procurement tech market movements, this week we are considering how vendors strike a balance between providing a simple solution and providing one that enables deep insight and impactful actions.
Some time ago our senior analyst specializing in sourcing, SxM and ESG technologies, Bertrand Maltaverne, coined the term ‘Autogmentation’ when he was analyzing the hand-in-hand relationship between automation and augmentation during the procurement digitalization process. By Automation, we mean automating tactical tasks, whether repetitive, lower value or less strategic, thus removing the person from the task to bring about improved efficiency and speed. By Augmentation we mean augmenting the decision-making, and therefore outcomes, of the practitioner and the process with a new type of collaboration between people and machines.