This post may be self-serving, but I thought it was time to mention that J. Ross Publishing is publishing my new book in March 2008. The title is: Supplier Evaluation and Performance Excellence: A Guide to Meaningful Metrics and Successful Results. This book fills a big gap in the literature on evaluating and managing supplier performance. I know of no other book that describes in detail the process for developing and implementing supplier performance evaluation and management.

Any thoughts about writing a book were quite vague until Drew Gierman, the publisher of J. Ross Publishing, a business book publisher, heard me speak about supplier evaluation at the 2006 ISM (Institute for Supply Management) conference. To my own surprise, I had an audience of about 350 people. The interest that the audience showed in the topic prompted Drew to ask me if I wanted to write a book on the topic. Theoretically I did, but in actuality, I had no idea of how much work and time writing this book would involve.

Incidentally, I am speaking on the topic of Supplier Evaluation at the 2008 ISM International Supply Management Conference in St. Louis. My session will take place on May 5th.

Why did I write this book, besides having a publisher who was willing and ready to sign me up for a book contract? Through my work I have seen how so many companies are struggling with supplier performance management. Many are unhappy with their processes or the lack of measurable results and some are just at the starting gate. Some procurement people can’t seem to make a good enough business case to get management’s attention, support and budget for a proper system, yet they certainly get senior management’s negative attention when their suppliers screw up. Many firms think that if they can just put together a scorecard with the right metrics, all will be well. It won’t be. Many companies are starting at the wrong end of the process. Thinking about metrics either in a vacuum or before considering your company’s overall goals and stratetgies and how your supply chain’s performance can support those goals and strategies is a recipe for failure. Supplier evaluation and performance management is a business process and as such, involves cross-functional participation and change management. It is not as easy dumping data into dashboards and or developing the right formulas for metrics, which in itself can be a challenging and costly undertaking. And it is not the sole purview of the procurement department. Challenges exist, but the rewards can be great.

I look at supplier evaluation from a practical, practitioner point of view. The book is a practical, step-by-step guide, not a theoretical or academic treatise. As they say, watch this space for more information about both the forthcoming book and the topic of supplier evaluation.