Is your procurement organisation striving for world class? Well, if it is, as I imagine most are, don’t push too hard for perfection. That’s the message from the 2007 ELP Forum chairman, Christopher Barrat.

Using the analogy of “the perfect plumber” – an oxymoron if ever there was one, Barrat told delegates in his opening address that being world class didn’t have to necessarily mean doing anything out of the ordinary. “If you’re doing everything you should be then the chances are that you are already world class,” he said.

He pointed to the example of Northern Rock – who set out to deliver world class standards but who eventually ended up stretching themselves too far – as an example of what can go wrong when companies try to go the extra mile without thinking of the long-term consequences.

Sustainable targets and a sustainable strategy is key. There’s no need, as Barrat memorably put it, for CPO to start wearing their pants outside their trousers (in classic superhero style) just yet.