Best Practice vs. Right Practice

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘best practice’ echoing around procurement teams. For a long time I chased it, thinking it was the ultimate goal. But I’ve come to realise something important: blindly adopting ‘best practice’ might be missing the point entirely.

For me, ‘best practice’ isn’t a destination we arrive at; it’s a continuous journey. It’s about ongoing adaptation and improvement, not a fixed set of rules to simply copy-paste.

What works wonders for one organisation, with its unique challenges and culture, might simply add unnecessary complexity and diminish returns for another. It’s like trying to force a square peg into a round hole, especially in the nuanced world of procurement.

The Law of Diminishing Returns

I’ve seen situations where the pursuit of ‘best practice’ led to incredible effort for very little additional gain. Sometimes, increasing sophistication brings rapidly diminishing returns for the effort involved.

It’s about right-sizing our approach—picking the methods that genuinely fit our specific context, rather than just conforming for conformity’s sake.

The organisations I respect most, who consistently demonstrate what’s widely considered ‘best practice’, aren’t just copying a template. They’ve put in the hard work to ensure their ‘good practice’ is absolutely rock-solid.

They’ve mastered the fundamentals, building a strong foundation that then allows them to selectively integrate more advanced techniques when and where they actually add value. This foundational excellence is a huge part of how procurement delivers consistent, tangible value.

Context is King

Ultimately, our job in procurement is to serve our stakeholders effectively. Sometimes, that means doing the simple things exceptionally well. Other times, it calls for leveraging the latest and greatest strategies. The key is understanding your specific context and making choices that truly deliver the best outcomes for your business.