The gap between what was sold and what gets delivered is where careers are made and lost. The questions to ask before, during, and after an ETRM implementation.
ETRM vendors are very good at selling certainty. The demo is clean. The workflow is smooth. The implementation timeline is confident. The system, you are told, will handle everything your desk needs.
It will not. And the gap between what was sold and what gets delivered is where careers are made and lost.
Create a free account to read selected essays across every pillar. Upgrade to Premium anytime for the full library.
Sign in to chat with an AI grounded in this essay.
Anish has spent 12+ years inside commodity trading floors delivering ETRM and trading systems, from front-office deal capture to the post-go-live months where implementations are won or lost. He writes The Trading Narrative for the practitioners who run those desks: traders, delivery leads, and the professionals in between.
More about the authorNo comments yet, be the first to share your perspective.
The work that is disappearing was never really yours. What to learn, what cannot be automated, and how to position for the next role in an AI-first commodity market.
Anish PujariAug 27, 2026 4 min read
Some of what vendors sell is transformative, some is a thin wrapper with a new label. What is actually working on commodity desks in 2026 and what is not.
Anish PujariAug 27, 2026 5 min read
Not exotic credentials: the translation layer, data fluency, regulatory literacy, implementation experience, and the ability to operate in ambiguity.
Anish PujariAug 27, 2026 7 min read