Top 10 lists are always popular. They’re easy to read, share and comment on — and they often inspire fascinating conversation with other readers. Here at ASCM, our content team is well aware of the power of a good top 10 list. Thus, in addition to our Top 10 Supply Chain Trends report (which you may remember me mentioning a couple of weeks ago), we’ve just announced this year’s 10 most-read articles by ASCM editorial staff and our talented volunteer contributors. What I find most interesting about the list is that each story reinforces the importance of understanding industry best practices in order to effectively communicate and collaborate with supply chain partners.

For example, “Choose the Best Supplier in 5 Steps,” by Supply Chain Advisor Nick Seiersen, offers tips for achieving excellent supplier relationships. Seiersen shares proven strategies for finding a partner who delivers value, is dependable, offers expertise, aligns with your organization’s core beliefs and much more.

The importance of supplier relationships is also explored in another article, “Supply Chains Must Transform — and the Sooner, the Better,” by longtime ASCM contributor Richard Crandall, Ph.D., CPIM-F, CIRM, CSCP. In this story, Crandall discusses the value of alignment and positive company culture. Of course, this underscores the importance of prioritizing every organization’s top asset: its people. One simple way to do this is by providing them with ASCM’s essential standards, tools and resources, so they can speak the same language, optimize teams, and gain the know-how to drive their supply chains and careers further.

Also on the list is “Improve SRM with Data Analytics,” in which Gali Katz, chief technology officer of International Delivery Assurance Services, explains how data analytics can advance supplier relationships. And in “The 3 P’s of Great Negotiations: Prepare, Probe, Propose,” expert negotiator Andres Lares, managing partner at Shapiro Negotiations Institute, details how to use the negotiation process to foster supply chain partnerships that are built on trust.

These articles make me especially proud of ASCM’s Supply Chain Procurement Certificate, a foundational education program designed to help both entry-level and experienced supply chain professionals expand their procurement knowledge and skills. The education provides an overview of procurement fundamentals, negotiation skills, sourcing strategies, supplier relationship management, evaluation metrics and more.

There are many more stories to discover in our top 10 and countless others in the ASCM Insights Blog archives. As you prepare for the New Year, I hope you’ll spend some time getting to know our excellent supply chain content. Furthermore, consider making a resolution to share your own knowledge and experience with the global supply chain community in 2023. If you do, maybe I’ll be highlighting your contributed article a year from now.