The rise of the spend dodecahedron: Reframing multidimensional analytics in supply chain management
Abstract
As supply chains grow more complex and fragmented, traditional spend analytics methods fall short. The familiar three-dimensional ‘spend cube’ has helped organisations understand their historical spend by supplier, category and business unit, but it no longer reflects the increasingly complex, cross-functional and financially entangled nature of modern procurement and distribution. This paper introduces the ‘spend dodecahedron’ as a new metaphor for the layered analytics reality that today’s supply chain leaders must master. The paper explores how multidimensional analytics, powered by data engineering, organisational alignment and applied artificial intelligence, are transforming decision making. Through a five-part methodology — data, apply, interpret, act and measure — the paper describes a path forward for analytics-driven organisations, and the mindset shift required to turn data into sustained operational and financial advantage. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Nick Pericle is Managing Director, Distribution at ProfitOptics, a consulting and custom software company specialising in supply chain analytics. He has spent the last decade working with manufacturers and distributors, from branches to boardrooms. In his current role, Nick is best known for architecting bespoke solutions and spearheading large-scale digital transformation projects, which have both saved organisations tens of thousands of efficiency hours and added millions to their bottom line. Nick has a passion for taking the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) and making it very real in the moment for distributors: how it can improve productivity, efficiency and what the future of an organisation looks like with AI.
Greg Colizzi is Senior Director of Client Solutions at ProfitOptics, bringing more than two decades of distribution experience and a builder’s mindset to solving complex business challenges. Having been on the client side himself, Greg understands the operational and strategic hurdles organisations face and has a proven track record of delivering custom-built technology solutions that drive measurable results. He specialises in helping healthcare distributors and manufacturers uncover hidden profit and growth opportunities within their data, designing workflow automation solutions that enhance efficiency, improve decision making and deliver lasting impact.
Citation
Pericle, Nick and Colizzi, Greg (2025, December 1). The rise of the spend dodecahedron: Reframing multidimensional analytics in supply chain management. In the Journal of Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Procurement, Volume 8, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.69554/CZKA5839.
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