Zethu Dlamini

Special Guest Blog Post written by Dyci Sfregola   Why planning, procurement, and leadership must move beyond coordination theater Collaboration is one of the most overused (and misunderstood) words in both modern supply chain and construction management. Everyone claims to value it. Few organizations design their operating models to make it work. In a recent conversation, Scott Luton sat down with Dyci Sfregola, author of Next Level Construction Management, to unpack what real collaboration looks like in practice; and why so many well-intentioned efforts fail to deliver measurable results.   What “True” Collaborative Planning Really Means According to Sfregola, real collaboration isn’t about more meetings or more dashboards. It’s about working together to create one plan, one set of assumptions, and real tradeoff analysis – – all owned collectively across functions. That includes finance, commercial, marketing, manufacturing, planning, and procurement all working from the same reality. Capacity, labor, cash flow, and constraints are visible. Decisions are documented. Actions actually change what happens next. The most common failure? Confusing information sharing with alignment. Teams often circulate data and emails and call it alignment, but no one in the room has clear decision rights – – or the authority to commit resources…

Over the past three decades, supply chain has transformed from a back-office function focused on efficiency into one of the most strategic capabilities in business. Few leaders have witnessed (and helped shape) that evolution more closely than Mourad Tamoud, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Schneider Electric. In a recent conversation with Scott Luton, Tamoud shared lessons from a career that began as a factory-floor intern and now spans global leadership. His perspective offers a compelling roadmap for organizations navigating AI, digital transformation, resilience, and the ever-changing demands of global supply chains. Supply Chain Has Become a Strategic Function Looking back on his early days at Schneider Electric, Tamoud noted just how dramatically the profession has changed. “When I started, I was coached with the understanding that supply chain was all about the ‘Just in Time’ approach and focused on cost reduction,” he said. “Today, supply chain sits at the center of business strategy. It is about supporting growth, anticipating resilience with agility.” That evolution has also reshaped leadership itself. “My biggest lesson has been that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about defining a long-term vision and building great teams, listening and helping people succeed. That’s…