Standardization Is the Quiet Revolution No One’s Talking About
Yesterday, a prospect told me their contract process was “mostly standardized.” I asked what that meant. They said, “Well, everyone has their own folder.” I’ve been doing this long enough to know that’s code for chaos. While everyone’s still distracted by AI, the actual game-changing trend in contract management isn’t sexy or new. It’s standardization. […]
It’s May. Let’s Talk About the 2025 CLM Trends That Are Actually Happening
Back in January, everyone had a list. AI would transform CLM. Modular platforms would take over. Compliance requirements would surge. Everyone would magically get better at managing third-party risk. That last one still makes me laugh. We’re now five months into 2025. Which means it’s a good time to stop predicting trends and start grading […]
The Myth of the Perfect Contract Management System
Let’s skip the part where I claim we’ve cracked the code to contract management. We haven’t. You haven’t. And frankly, anyone who tells you they have is either trying to sell you something expensive or hasn’t spent enough time living with the aftermath of their own systems. The pursuit of the “perfect” contract management solution […]
Why CLM Implementations Fail
The dirty secret of contract management software? Most implementations fail. I’ve spent over 30 years cleaning up the mess. Fixing systems that never should’ve gone live, calming down exec teams who were one Zoom call away from a cage match, and rebuilding trust in processes that were broken before the first login. Depending on […]