Good Supplier Relationship Management is like a Good Risotto. Want the Recipe??

A few nights ago, my girlfriend and I had over guests for dinner.

I decided that I would serve a classic mushroom risotto and my girlfriend was going to bake her famous baguette. I had all the ingredients home necessary to make the risotto except for the Arborio rice itself.

Upon entering the grocery store I knew exactly what I needed, so I headed directly for the pasta and rice aisle. Walking up and down the aisle I determined there were several variations of Arborio rice in this particular store.

The packages bared different brands and markings. One type was ecological, one type was made of wheat, some were less expensive, and others had highly marked prices, but they were all, in essence, the same rice.

The wall of Arborio, glared at me angrily from the shelves above.

So, I grabbed one.

But, did I really pick the rice there and then, or was it the decisions I had already made, beforehand, about the dinner that manifested into a selection?

Prior to selecting this box of rice, I knew the parameters, in which, this particular box of rice would be expected to fulfill. It needed it to be white arborio rice, ecological and not the same brand we had the last time we made risotto (that brand didn’t turn out well).

Knowing these parameters, I was able to weed through the options before I quickly, assessed their attributes- in line with my pre-evaluated parameters, and made an informed selection.

I know what you may be thinking.

“Um, it’s just rice.”

With that I can totally agree, but the principle of this selection process is what truly matters. The rice’s choosing illustrates that there is no such thing as proper selection without prior evaluation of the end result’s needs and goals.

FULL ARTICLE HERE