Posted 26/03/2015
For small geographically focused organisations coaching and training its procurement team and
associated staff should be relatively straightforward. The staff are locally based
and face-to-face contact can be organised easily. However, in large multi-geographic
organisations that need to manage diverse cultural procurement teams located in many
different countries, this can be quite a challenging activity to manage if not planned
and implemented in a structured fashion.
1. Programme management – it should be run as a programme with a well documented
schedule of meetings that are rigorously adhered to. It is preferable to align the
interactions with any key decision gates or milestones that need to be completed.
2. Clear goals and deliverables – there should be clear goals and deliverables for the coaching programme at an individual level that should also be aligned with the individual’s personal development plan needs.
3. Schedule meetings – it is important to set up an agreed schedule of interface
sessions.
4. Set the agenda – Agree with the individual a template agenda of the topics you
need to cover. For example, if the person was running a category project for the
first time the coach may include the following aspects:
5. Actual interface sessions – make sure you use the time as productively as possible:
6. Progress reviews with management – it is important to report progress of the coaching programme to their manager, if they are not undertaking the coaching. Create a simple one page template that details progress since last report, current issues/challenges and next steps to offer the manager a thumbnail review of the individual’s progress.
In summary, to successfully embed a new strategic sourcing methodology in an organisation requires real passion, conviction and commitment of time and resources from across the organisation. Trying to impose a methodology without this support will lead to under delivery.
Senior procurement professionals and pivotal leaders can really benefit from 1:1 training.
Properly accredited, well designed and supportively delivered coaching for members
of the leadership team and senior category and supplier managers is becoming more
common.
We are regularly involved in performance-based coaching of high added value staff
as well as providing strategic coaching for senior leaders central to procurement
transformation.
Find out how Future Purchasing can support your initiatives in procurement transformation,
cost reduction, category management and performance learning by contacting us
here.
Tagged by topic: Category Management , Learning and Development , Procurement Transformation , SRM