Making Sense of the Options Before You Commit to One

Before you start looking at what the market offers, how clear are you about what you're actually trying to solve — and what it would mean to have solved it?

Jul 16, 2026 11:00

—

12:00

BST

Online (MS Teams)

For senior supply chain leaders only

How this meeting works

Practitioner-led working session
No pitches
Small-group, facilitated discussion
Works best when you can engage actively
Chatham House Rule
Limited places to preserve quality

Suggested Discussion Points

How practitioners in new roles or at the beginning of a new capability conversation are approaching the problem before vendors enter the picture
What it means to have a clear view of the problem you're trying to solve before you start looking at what the market offers
Where assumptions about what the technology needs to do most often turn out to be wrong, and how to surface them before they harden
How to hold the space between 'we know something needs to change' and 'we're ready to commit' without drifting into a premature solution conversation
What peer input adds at this stage that consultants, vendors, and internal analysis can't

Why this session exists

The decisions that most reliably determine whether a planning investment succeeds are made before any vendor enters the room. Before the RFP. Before the shortlist. Before the first demo. The question of what you are actually trying to solve, and what it would mean to have solved it, is usually answered in passing rather than deliberately — and by the time a vendor is presenting, the answer has usually been shaped more by what the market offers than by what the organisation actually needs.

This session is for leaders who are at the earlier stages of that process: curious about the options, conscious that something needs to change, but not yet sure how to think about it clearly enough to make a good decision. It is a peer discussion rather than a presentation, and there is no vendor presence. The point is not to find the answer, but to develop a better version of the question.

What you'll leave with

A clearer sense of how to articulate what you're actually trying to solve before solutions enter the conversation
Peer perspective from leaders who have been through the early stages of a planning transformation and can share what they wish they had known earlier
A practical test for whether the problem framing you are currently working with is robust enough to guide a capability decision
A sharper view of which questions are worth answering before you start engaging with the market

Who this meeting is for

This meeting is designed for people working through real operational and innovation decisions, rather than those seeking presentations or general inspiration.

Who for

Supply chain leaders who are relatively new to their current role or to a particular capability area and want to develop a clearer view of the problem before vendor conversations begin
Leaders who have a sense that something needs to change but aren't yet sure how to frame it in a way that would hold up to scrutiny
Directors and VPs who want to use peer input to pressure-test their early diagnosis before it hardens into a brief that shapes the market engagement

Who not for

Leaders who have already done substantial diagnostic work and are ready to move into vendor selection
Anyone seeking a technology demonstration or vendor comparison
Anyone expecting a passive, webinar-style session rather than a peer discussion

How the online session works

Each session is designed as an online equivalent of a small, in-room roundtable discussion — not a passive, webinar-style presentation.

The format adapts to the topic and the experience in the room:

Where participants already have strong knowledge, we typically start by inviting individuals to expand on specific points they have shared in advance. This helps surface real-world context quickly and anchors the discussion in practical experience.
Where the topic is less familiar or more specialised, we may begin with a short explainer to establish a shared baseline before opening up the discussion.

To support productive dialogue, we often invite a subject-matter expert to join the session. This may be someone from a vendor, consultancy, or independent background — sometimes from within the community, sometimes external.

Their role is not to pitch or present a solution. Instead, they listen carefully to the discussion and reflect back:

how similar challenges have been approached in comparable organisations
what has worked (and what hasn’t) in practice
concrete examples that help translate discussion into action

This balance is deliberate. Without it, sessions can drift into abstract debate or problem-sharing. With it, discussions stay grounded and participants leave with tangible ideas they can apply in their own context.

The emphasis throughout is on shared learning, practical insight, and forward progress, rather than polished presentations or predetermined answers.

What happens next

Participation is confirmed through a short, staged process designed to ensure a good fit and a productive discussion for everyone in the room.

Step 1: Register interest

You start by entering your details and answering a short set of questions about your current context and the decisions on your radar.

Step 2: We sense-check fit and composition

We may follow up to clarify a few details. This is about making sure the discussion works for everyone in the room.

Step 3: You receive a personal invitation

Once confirmed, you will receive a personal invitation with the session agenda, who else will be joining, and clear joining instructions.

Online Discussion