Everyone wants to talk about AI, but no one wants to talk about the mess in their data lake. In this episode of Proc & Roll, hosts Conrad Smith, Zachary Bachir, and Natasha Gurevich debate the unsexy reality of data readiness.

Is your organization actually ready for predictive analytics, or are you just "tidying up your bedroom" before it gets messy again?

The team dives deep into why one-off data cleanup projects are a waste of budget, why hiring a PhD Data Scientist might be a massive mistake for your current maturity level, and why the most successful leaders "stay in love with the data" even as they rise through the ranks.

In this episode, we cover:

• The "Bedroom Tidying" Trap: Why cleaning up data without fixing the operating model is a futile exercise.
• Single Version of Truth: How to stop the "I disagree with your numbers" argument that kills every procurement strategy.
• The Talent Debate: Do you need a Data Scientist or a Process Analyst? (The answer might surprise you) .
• "No New Data": A radical strategy to stop data sludge before it enters your system.
• Leadership Advice: Conrad’s plea for leaders to remain connected to the raw information that runs the business.

About Proc & Roll

Proc & Roll is your guide to practical procurement, hosted by industry heavyweights Zachary Bachir, Conrad Smith (CEO, Graphite), and Natasha Gurevich (CEO, Candor Procurement). From fighting inflation to navigating AI, we deliver actionable insights and "Jam Sessions" with world-class leaders to help you turn procurement into a strategic powerhouse.