What is the difference between Magic Quadrant, Critical Capabilities and Cool Vendors?

Magic Quadrant ranks established vendors on execution and vision. Critical Capabilities scores vendors against specific use cases such as demand planning, S&OP, or inventory optimization, with a granularity Magic Quadrant does not offer. Cool Vendors flags innovative companies that may not yet have the scale to enter the Magic Quadrant but are shaping market direction. Buyers benefit from reading all three: Magic Quadrant gives a market map, Critical Capabilities tests functional fit against the actual use case, and Cool Vendors surfaces forward-looking signals about where Supply Chain Planning is heading next.