The Category Management Handbook

Stage 1Initiation

Overview and benefits of this stage

Why start with governance, and why not simply ‘get on’ with category management?

There is a desire within many organisations to ‘rush’ into category management and to ‘execute at pace’. This is ill-conceived if an organisation is looking to make major changes and create significant lasting benefits. It is logical to assume that most of the obvious opportunities for commercial improvement have already been taken; otherwise, why engage in category management? So the main reason why organisations are adopting category management should be because they are looking for a step change in delivery.

In category management this is referred to as breakthrough thinking. Category management has the ability ...