Gartner Expert
Patrick Connaughton
Sr Director Analyst
Patrick Connaughton is part of the team that advises application leaders on procurement and strategic sourcing applications. This includes helping define and identify technologies across the source-to-pay landscape and creating procurement technology strategy. Mr. Connaughton helps clients understand the market landscape, prioritize investments, evaluate vendors and determine best-fit, negotiate contracts, and deploy best practices across a variety of market segments including Source-to-Contract (S2C) (spend analysis, supplier management, e-sourcing, and contract life cycle management) and Procure-to-Pay technologies. She also assesses and advises clients on the use of emerging technologies, such as AI, RPA, and advanced analytics, across sourcing and procurement.
Previous experience
Mr. Connaughton has over 20 years of experience in supply chain, procurement research and advisory roles. Before he joined Gartner, he was a Research Director at The Hackett Group. Prior to that, he was a Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, and a consulting manager at Manhattan Associates, JDA Software and Accenture.
Professional background
The Hackett Group
Senior Research Director
Forrester Research
Principal Analyst
Accenture
Consultant
Areas of coverage
Procurement and Strategic Sourcing Applications
Sourcing and Procurement
Education
Bachelor of Science, Decision Information Science, University of Florida
Top Issues That I Help Clients Address
1Creating a sourcing and procurement technology roadmap that best aligns with business objectives
2Creating a shortlist of vendors to evaluate for source-to-contract (S2C) applications
3Comparing the various P2P suites and choosing a best-fit solution
4Determining how emerging technologies like AI and RPA deliver value to sourcing and procurement organizations
5Assessing whether a full suite or ecosystem approach is needed