Introduction

The last twenty-five years have seen a huge increase in the use of 3rd party management consultants. This report provides analysis of Orbys’ recent survey into enterprises’ procurement of use of these 3rd party consultants, providing a “health check” on the state of the market.

Scope

*Based on a survey of chief procurement officers, market segment managers, as well as senior financial and project managers in 250 organizations.

*Survey questions were derived from Orbys’ Five Level Maturity Assessment Model, used to evaluate an organization’s procurement effectiveness.

Highlights

For many organizations, annual spend on third-party management consultants is now a very significant visible (and until recently growing) proportion of their turnover, overall people costs and/or procured indirect/non-inventory-based goods and services.

Our survey indicated that, while there were some organizations that managed their spend well, there were a lot more where the approaches and practices in this market sector were variable, inconsistent and fragmented.

Reasons to Purchase

*Provides a method of benchmarking your organization’s procurement policies and performance against other peers and competitors.

*Highlights areas where procurement processes should be improved, identifying best and common market practice.

Table of Contents :
Overview 1
Introduction 1
About the co-author 1
Summary 1
Methodology 1
Executive Summary 2
Growth in third-party management consulting 2
Pressure on third-party management consulting spend 2
Management of third-party management consulting spend 3
Importance of third-party management consulting performance 3
Table of Contents 4
Table of Figures 5
Market Analysis 6
Use of consulting among enterprises 6
Budget overruns a significant issue 9
Weak value realization 10
Mixed pricing methods 11
Procurement organization headcount 13
Spend decisions not led by procurement 15
Business planning is patchy 16
Procurement often not standardized 17
Scope of work not always pre-agreed 18
A balance of standard contracts prevails 19
Competitive tendering not common enough 20
Good levels of market intelligence 21
Limited knowledge-sharing 22
Weak supplier performance management 24
APPENDIX 25
Methodology 25
Further reading 25
Ask the analyst 25
Orbys consulting 25
Disclaimer 25

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Although senior, weight management and special needs (SWM) products for pets have been around for many years, they have yet to achieve a level of market penetration commensurate with the proportion of senior and overweight pets, and in the current market climate these segments appear to be ripe for significantly greater development. Along with the intense health and “premiumization” focuses in the pet market overall, key market drivers include the growing numbers of “qualified” pets. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the percentage of the U.S. dog population age 6 or more increased from 42% in 1996 to 44% in 2006, while the percentage of cats age 6 or more rose from 37% to 44%. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention reports that 44% of dogs and 57% of cats were overweight or obese as of 2008, up 1 and 4 percentage points, respectively, since 2007, with older animals displaying a much higher incidence of obesity/overweight.

Considering the market as a whole, Packaged Facts estimates U.S. retail sales at $4.3 billion in 2008, with sales projected to climb to 2013, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of over 9%. Building on expert analysis developed across Packaged Facts’ extensive pet market research collection, this all-new report examines every area of the market, segmenting it into four categories: (1) pet food, including nutraceutical treats; (2) prescription pet medications; (3) devices and other non-food assistance products, including mobility devices (harnesses, wheelchairs, footwear, etc.), hygienic products, bedding, toys, and watering and feeding devices; and (4) pet supplements. For each of these categories, the report examines key competitive trends, leading marketers, and the product trends shaping the market now and into the future.

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Featuring custom pet owner profiling based on a 2009 pet owner poll conducted by Packaged Facts, the report also profiles users of lite and weight management dog and cat food in depth, using data from Experian Simmons’ Winter 2008/2009 National Consumer Study, with additional data sources including Information Resources, Inc. InfoScan Review data to quantify pet food sales trends and marketer shares in mass-market channels, and the American Pet Products Association 2009-2010 APPA National Pet Owners Survey.

Table of Contents :
Chapter 1: Executive Summary
Introduction
Scope of Report
Four Product Categories
Report Methodology
Market Trends
U.S. Retail Sales Top $4 Billion in 2008
Food the Largest Category, But Medications Gaining
Market Share by Retail Channel
Figure 1-1: Share of U.S. Retail Sales of Senior, Weight Management and Special Needs Pet Products by Category, 2004 vs. 2008 (percent)
IRI-Tracked SWM Pet Food Dollar Sales Up, Volume Sales Down
Market Outlook
Marketing Trends
A Multicategory Market
Pet Food at the Core
Competitive Structure of Overall Market
Pet Food Market Provides Solid Base for Senior and Weight Management Foods
Formulations and Ingredients
Product Package Tags and Marketing Claims
Top Global Pharmaceutical Marketers Heavily Investing in Pet Medications
Devices Encompass Myriad Products Concentrated in Five Segments
Joint/Senior Products Are Most Extensive Supplements Category
Consumer Trends
20% Use Light/Weight Management or Senior Formulas
Dry Light/WM Formulas Surpass Senior Formulas
White Collar Draw for Light/WM Formula Dry Dog Foods
Figure 1-2: Household Purchasing Rates for Light/Weight Management Dry and Canned Dog and Cat Food: 2004 vs.
2008/09 (percent of U.S. households with dogs or cats)
Patterns for Pet Supplements and Weight Control Treats
Light/WM and Senior Crowd Are Prime Pet Owners

Chapter 2: Market Trends
Introduction
Scope of Report
Four Product Categories
Report Methodology
Market Size and Composition
U.S. Retail Sales Top $4 Billion in 2008
Table 2-1: U.S. Retail Sales of Senior, Weight Management and Special Needs Pet Products by Category, 2004 vs. 2008 (in millions of dollars)
Food the Largest Category, But Medications Gaining
Figure 2-1: Share of U.S. Retail Sales of Senior, Weight Management and Special Needs Pet Products by Category, 2004 vs. 2008 (percent)
Market Share by Retail Channel and Category
Figure 2-2: Share of U.S. Retail Sales of Senior and Weight Management Pet Food by Distribution Channel, 2008 (percent)
IRI-Tracked SWM Pet Food Dollar Sales Up, Volume Sales Down
Table 2-2: IRI-Tracked Dollar Sales of Senior and Weight Management Pet Food, 2003-2008 (in millions of dollars)
Table 2-3: IRI-Tracked Volume Sales of Senior and Weight Management Pet Food, 2003-2008 (in millions)
Sales by Segment and Animal Type
Figure 2-3: Share of IRI-Tracked Sales of Senior and Weight Management Pet Food by Type: Weight Management vs. Senior, 2003-2008 (percent)
Table 2-4: Share of IRI-Tracked Sales of Senior and Weight Management Pet Food: Dog Food vs. Cat Food, 2003-2008 (percent)
Table 2-5: 2004-2008 and 2003-2008 Compound Annual Growth Rates, Dollar Sales Gains and Share of Total Growth in IRI-Tracked Sales of Senior and Weight Management Pet Food (in millions of dollars and percent)
Dog Food Dollar and Volume Sales
Cat Food Dollar and Volume Sales
Table 2-6: IRI-Tracked Dollar Sales of Senior and Weight Management Dog Food by Type, 2003-2008 (in millions of dollars)
Table 2-7: IRI-Tracked Volume Sales of Senior and Weight Management Dog Food by Type, 2003-2008 (in millions)
Table 2-8: IRI-Tracked Dollar Sales of Senior and Weight Management Cat Food by Type, 2003-2008 (in millions of dollars)
Table 2-9: IRI-Tracked Volume Sales of Senior and Weight Management Cat Food by Type, 2003-2008 (in millions)
Market Outlook
Senior, Weight Management Products Underpin Broader Industry Focus on Pet Health
A Recession-Resistant Market
Table 2-10: Percent of Pet Owners Who Anticipate Spending Less on Pet Food/Supplies or Pet Services in Next 12 Months, February 2009
Table 2-11: Mean Veterinary Expenditures: By Human/Animal Bond Among Dog and Cat Households, 2006 (in dollars)
Figure 2-4: Share of Total U.S. Pet Market Expenditures: $70K+ vs. Under $70K Income Brackets, 1997-2007 (percent)
Figure 2-5: Share of U.S. Pet Market Expenditures by Category: $70K+ Income Bracket Households, 1997 vs. 2007 (percent)
The Aging Pet Population
Figure 2-6: Percentage of Dogs and Cats Age 6 and Over: 1996 vs. 2006 (percent)
Pet Overweight, Obesity Contribute to Chronic Conditions
Table 2-12: Percentage and Number of Overweight and Obese Dogs and Cats, 2008
Table 2-13: Percentage and Number of Overweight and Obese Dogs and Cats, 2007
Increasing Consumer Awareness of Pet Overweight, Obesity
The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP)
The Hill’s/AVMA Alliance for Healthier Pets Program
Other Marketers Also Tackling the Issue
Trade Media on Board in Promoting Awareness
Consumer Interest in Functional Pet Foods Strong and Growing
Table 2-14: Use of Specially Formulated Dog Food: 2004, 2006 and 2008 (percent)
Table 2-15: Use of Specially Formulated Cat Food: 2004, 2006 and 2008 (percent)
Table 2-16: Percentage of Dog and Cat Owners Who Purchased Fortified Pet Food in the Past 12 Months: 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 (percent)
Pet Food Labeling Requirements and Calorie Statements
Sales of Pet Medications Going Strong
Figure 2-7: U.S. Retail Sales of Pet Medications: 2003, 2007 and 2012 (in billions of dollars)
Pet Supplements on the Ups
Figure 2-8: U.S. Retail Sales of Pet Supplements and Nutraceutical Treats: 2003, 2007 and 2012 (in millions of dollars)
Increased Veterinary Focus on Senior, Overweight Pets
Senior, Healthy Weight Also a Focus for Other Pet Care Service Providers
Looking Abroad
Projected Market Growth
Table 2-17: Projected U.S. Retail Sales of Senior, Weight Management and Special Needs Pet Products by Category, 2008 vs. 2013 (in millions of dollars)
Figure 2-9: Projected Share of U.S. Retail Sales of Senior, Weight Management and Special Needs Pet Products by Category, 2008 vs. 2013 (percent)

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Effective Project Management is the key to delivering projects on time and within budget. With increasing competition and customers’ demand of consistent quality, it has become essential to have uniform project management approach towards all the projects in an organization. Thus, today most of the organizations are moving towards Enterprise Project Management (EPM). EPM is a standardized way to govern all projects in an enterprise.

Continuous developments in the EPM field have brought enterprise resource management also in the umbrella of EPM focus. Organizations today need to manage their resources effectively and optimize their utilization across various the enterprise projects. For this, the management needs up-to-date information on resource allocation, assignment, availability and utilization.

Enterprise wide Project and Resource Management is challenging and needs the right enterprise project management software. To facilitate EPM implementation across an organization, AceIcon has come out with EPM software viz. AceIcon Project Server. AceIcon Project Server (APS) is an easy to use online project management server for enterprises. APS provides mechanism to manage, monitor and control projects and resources in an enterprise.

AceIcon’s EPM software not only empowers executive management but also Project managers, Resource Managers and Stakeholders in their day-to-day tasks. Project managers can manage and track projects in a uniform way and keep their customers and stakeholders informed by keeping up-to-date status and sharing issues and risks with them.  Project teams can easily know what tasks are assigned to them, report status and collaborate with other team members using in built email, forums etc. Resource Managers can better manage organizational resources by knowing the resources’ allocation, availability and utilization thus avoiding bottlenecks. Executives have access to a summary level dashboard of projects that enables them to monitor progress across projects and drill down on problem areas. Project Health and variance rules can be set at organization level for a uniform review of all projects.

Watch the video related to enterprise project

A guideline to lowering project development costs through enterprise project management beginning with earned value management, managing similar projects, quality improvement teams, and turning policies into practices.

Help answer the question about enterprise project

About Author

For more information you can visit Enterprise Project Management. AceIcon is a Software Development Company that specializes in online project management software Online Project Management Software

Introduction

Business process management has been steadily entering the mainstream as enterprises realize that business processes are the ultimate differentiators. In the volatile business circumstances that are set to dominate in 2010, enterprises in many industries are realizing that process efficiency and agility is a necessity when dealing with pressures of a protracted economic recovery.

Scope
>
*Explains how BPM will help to address the related issues of resource constraints, price volatility and margin pressure.

*Describes why organisations need to focus on process efficiency and agility supported by BPM solutions.

*Provides advice for both enterprise and vendor clients.

*Covers all industry sectors and geographies.

Highlights

In 2010 process management initiatives will be driven by the need to streamline business processes, optimize the execution of these processes and support unprecedented level of adaptability in order to react to the changing conditions in the market.

Ovum emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive closed-loop optimization strategy based on the exact requirements of each process identified for improvement. Although many enterprises will have previous experiences of process improvement methodologies, an inclusive approach to the continuing challenge of business process optimization is vital.

Prevailing conditions will call for a greater emphasis on process portfolio management and IT services management in order to match each business process with the optimal execution environment and optimization methodology: Business process management frameworks will also have to integrate other adjacent disciplines like enterprise architecture.

Reasons to Purchase

*Identify market trends to help evaluate opportunities for business process improvement in your industry sector.

*Understand the BPM landscape, including drivers, technology evolution, and vendor approaches.

*Understand the long term implications of BPM on business agility and performance optimisation.

Table of Contents :

“Overview 2
CATALYST 2
SUMMARY 2
OVUM VIEW 2
analysis 3
RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS, PRICE VOLATILITY AND PRESSURE ON MARGINS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO CONTINUED ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY 4
Resource strain: volatility in prices of commodities 4
Price volatility: rapidly alternating episodes of deflation and inflation 5
Pressure on margins: capitalising on the expansion opportunities while retaining tight control over margins 5
Business model challenges: long-term demographic shifts and technology disruption 5
DEPLOY SUPERIOR PROCESS MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES 5
Process-centricity creates efficiencies and allows for adaptation to changing circumstances 6
Efficiency and agility are the imperatives common to many industry verticals 6
FOCUS ON PROCESS EFFICIENCY AND PROCESS AGILITY 7
New circumstances call for running changes and an inclusive approach to business process efficiency 7
In 2010, business should approach process efficiency through closed-loop process lifecycle 7
PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT HELPS IDENTIFY PRIORITY TARGETS FOR BUSINES PROCESSES IMPROVEMENTS 8
Portfolio management offers an efficient way to allocate resources to processes that merit them the most 8
BUSINESS PROCESS ANALYSIS SUPPORTS THE STREAMLINING OF KEY BUSINESS PROCESSES 9
Enterprise architecture modelling is a good starting point for process analysis and optimisation initiatives 9
BPA is becoming increasingly inclusive as organisations realise that processes are ‘good to think with’ 9
2010 will be a breakthrough year of collaboration modelling platforms 9
Innovative synchronous collaboration platforms could become BPA platforms of the future 10
Collaborative modelling will not render specialist modelling standards obsolete 10
BPMN 2.0, set to be finalised in 2010, represents an important milestone in process modelling 10
BUSINESS PROCESS EXECUTION OPTIMISATION MATCHES EACH BUSINESS PROCESS TO THE OPTIMAL DEPLOYMENT PLATFORM 11
2010 will bring an increased focus on improving basic, stable and non-differentiating business processes 11
Commercial off-the-shelf applications can be an effective option for non-differentiating processes 12
Packaged processes-driven applications offer greater combination of configurability and stability 12
A dedicated process execution layer remains the best way to ensure both optimisation and agility 12
In 2010, emphasis will shift from process integration and automation to exception handling 12
Convergence between business rules and BPMS will continue to drive process agility in 2010 13
Handling complex process exceptions is the challenge for the business process execution market in 2010 13
Optimising IT operations will play an important part in process efficiency agenda in 2010 15
IT service management frameworks based on business transactions will be in demand during 2010 15
PROCESS PERFORMANCE MONITORING SENSES CHANGES IN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS AND ADAPTS PROCESS FOR IMPROVED EFFICIENCY 15
Process performance monitoring will continue to be an important factor in driving process agility 16
ACTIONS 16
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ORGANISATIONS 16
Think about business processes in a holistic fashion 16
Do not ignore the IT infrastructure underpinning business process execution 16
Conduct process triage 17
Adopt a collaborative, bottom-up approach to process management 17
Be ambitious in process approach 17
Consider a process-driven approach as a conduit to business process transformation 17
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROVIDERS OF TECHNOLOGIES AND SERVICES 18
Prepare for project -based spending patterns 18
Offer both packaged applications and process platforms 18
Support a collaborative approach to process analysis and optimisation 18
Further the cause of process agility through concerted efforts on multiple fronts 18
Embed analytics in order to enable agile, responsive and adaptive business processes 19
Create IT management frameworks in which business transaction is the basic unit of change 19
APPENDIX 20
DEFINITIONS 20
Business activity monitoring (BAM) 20
Business process management (BPM) 20
Business process analysis (BPA) 20
Business process modelling notation (BPMN) 20
Cloud computing 20
Event processing 20
IT systems management (ITSM) 20
IT service management (ITSM) 20
Open source 21
Project portfolio management (PPM) 21
Software as a Service (SaaS) 21
METHODOLOGY 21
FURTHER READING 21
LEAD AUTHOR 21
OVUM CONSULTING 21
DISCLAIMER 22
List of Figures
Figure 1: Closed-loop process lifecycle will be instrumental in responding to business challenges for 2010 8
Figure 2: Optimal business process execution platforms depend on process differentiation and dynamism 11

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