At the start of this year, the Netherlands Court of Audit (NL: Rekenkamer) published a report about the ‘Dutch central government in the cloud’. The Court acknowledges that leveraging cloud services can increase efficiency and improve service delivery. At the same time, it states that the government has limited insight into the cloud and didn’t […]
Some of my friends live where a White Christmas is a real option. Locally, we would settle for a not-all-too-wet one. But irrespective of the weather, this time of year triggers memories of last year and invites us to look ahead. This post is to share some of my reflections in both directions. Personal – […]
When updating my website, I also wanted to refresh the images with the various blogs. The existing illustrations were of varying quality, format and style. More importantly, the photos were found online, and copyright issues may have been involved. I thought I would address most of these issues by generating graphics with DALL-E (part of […]
Sourcing seems a relatively new field. Many associate sourcing primarily with the big IT outsourcing deals from the 1990s and the early 21st century. Comprehensive initiatives where assets and people were transferred to international service providers. But that was then. Definition of Sourcing Today’s reality is different. According to the Van Dale dictionary, outsourcing means […]
As always, this time of year invites to reflection. The past year was a cycling year for me. Strava counted 165 activities in 2023. I know, Tour de France participants cover more distance in three weeks than I in a year, but for me it is a step towards a more active lifestyle and fully […]
On October 12, Sourcing Nederland organised a seminar “an alternative view on sourcing“. We heard an interesting story about mediation from Lieneke Viergever and Patrick Wit. I was provided the opportunity to share some thoughts about alternative ways of selection and contracting. Many of my suggestions are inspired by the world of Agile Software Development, […]
Contracting the terms in a business relationship involves a bizarre dynamic: the more you regulate, the more you have to regulate. It often starts with working out a limited number of situations, but soon the conversation becomes more detailed. This can descend to a level where all sorts of theoretical scenarios and risks are outlined, […]
Outsourcing engagements should be based on trust and collaboration. Isn’t that obvious? Apparently, it is not. Outsources typically don’t set up their selection process based on that premise. Clients often act like they don’t trust potential vendors. They leverage a competitive process with multiple vendors to get an optimal result. Most time and effort during […]
Just over six years after the inception of 2iQ Management & Consultancy, we are expanding our capabilities. A new company has joined the family: 2iQ Sustainability Advice. It is based on shared values but with a complementary set of new skills and experiences. By joining forces and combining our networks, we are now able to […]
When companies decide to outsource part of their activities, this will require serious preparation. They invest time and effort in a sourcing strategy, considering what should or should not be outsourced. There is attention to the scope (involving one or more vendors), and a business case will identify at least the financial benefits. A key […]
What kind of year was 2022? This time of year is a time of reflection. Last year Covid was top of mind. In this part of the world, that is entirely different now, but in China, the worst is likely to come. Things are returning to normal while we seem to be able to keep […]
Reflections on 2021… Last year this time, I thought Covid could be a one-year thing. I was proven wrong. Two vaccinations later, we’re scheduled for a booster in early January, and the end is not yet in sight. Even so, the upsides of a pandemic also continue to apply. Multiple non-commute days a week and […]
