Managing Acquisition Process

Managing Acquisition Processes

This book is meant to help both customers and suppliers to improve the quality of acquisition processes. The ISPL concept of an acquisition process helps to make explicit the management of expectations and risks. By sharing terminology and methodology, customers and suppliers achieve a better communication about the aims of projects and services and the means to achieve them.

Many IT failures are caused by unclear or bad agreements and insufficiently organised expectation management between customers and suppliers. Following a well-defined process, well-understood by both customer and supplier, has a beneficial effect on the quality of the agreement that is reached. A better understanding of the process also leads to better control, and thus a more effective use of resources.

ISPL provides a well-defined process that can be used by both customers and suppliers to structure their acquisitions. ISPL also provides checklists that can be used as a reference in concrete acquisitions.