Routine work is collapsing
Share of effort spent on routine operational tasks, 2026
2019, some 41 of the 175 procurement tasks analyzed in our study were routine jobs, from PO dispatch and supplier returns to low-value purchasing and data entry. Purchasers these activities every day, interrupting flow, reducing strategic focus and diluting Today, automated triage, guided buying, supplier portals and Al-assisted invoice attention. Our 2026 survey confirms this trend, with two-thirds of Chief Procurement Officers operational activities. The majority say that operational work has declined significantly over the past five years, with a sharp drop in routines across company sizes and industries. B Share of effort spent on routine operational tasks, 2026