Most Agile transformations don’t fail in delivery.They fail at procurement.

Teams move fast.Contracts don’t.

That gap quietly kills momentum. Backlogs flow—until sourcing, legal, and vendors pull everything back into a months-long, document-driven process designed for predictability, not complexity.

In my recent conversation with Mirko Kleiner, one of the pioneers of Lean Agile Procurement, I learned how his teams flipped sourcing on its head:

* ERP vendor selected in 2 days

* Engineers talking directly to engineers

* All vendors in the same room

* Solutions co-created, not specified upfront

* Contracts negotiated during the workshop

* World Procurement Award winner

It all starts with one uncomfortable question:

“What if we had just one day to select a supplier — and sign the contract?”

That constraint forces a redesign of the system:less delegation, fewer handoffs, real ownership, and radically more transparency between buyers and suppliers.

This isn’t fringe thinking anymore.

Mirko and the Lean Agile Procurement community recently released a joint whitepaper with SAFe that directly addresses a problem many organizations feel but can’t name:Agile at scale breaks down when procurement and other supporting functions stay traditional.

You can read it here:👉 https://www.lap-alliance.org/resources/our-blog/boost-your-safe-implementation-with-lean-agile-procurement-n2km7

What’s emerging is bigger than procurement. It’s a global movement focused on cross-company collaboration and value streams that don’t stop at the company’s front door.

That movement is growing quickly—and they’re actively looking for trainers to help meet demand worldwide:👉 https://www.lap-alliance.org

If your Agile teams move fast but your vendors don’t, you’re not missing another framework.

You’re missing procurement as part of agility.

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