When you're running your company's procurement department, it's important to put together and perpetually foster the best team you can. After all, if you can get everyone on the same page and pulling in one direction, the benefits for your business as a whole will take a huge step forward.

How do you do that in a coherent and consistent way going forward? The following steps should help:

1) Clearly define everyone's role

Whether you're building a team from scratch, bringing on new members to an existing group, or just looking to revamp an old unit, it's vital to make sure everyone has their own unique roles and knows to stay in those lanes, according to ProcureDesk. You certainly don't want two people working on the same kinds of projects at the same time, so when everyone knows exactly how they fit into the bigger picture, the whole team benefits.

A good procurement department is all about teamwork.A good procurement department is all about teamwork.

2) Move everyone who does purchasing into the same department

If you have a purchasing team already, but there are people outside it who also primarily do that kind of work, it's probably better to bring them into the fold, ProcureDesk advised. That way, you never get into a situation where one hand doesn't know what the other is doing, and you may be able to find new areas of efficiency as well.

3) Train across the board

Training is vital for almost any professional, and there are multiple avenues you can pursue with such efforts for procurement, according to Scout Bee. That could include a solid mix of not only the technical skills that go into each person's job in and of itself, but also soft skills and those that help workers take the next step when it comes to engaging with the latest and greatest tech. Overall, you want your team to be well-rounded and growing all the time.

4) Don't micromanage 

No one likes to feel as though their manager is looming over their shoulders, and more to the point, when it comes to a procurement team, everyone is likely to keep a lot of plates spinning at the same time, Scout Bee said. Instead, it often makes more sense to assume your team knows what they're doing and can get the job done effectively on an ongoing basis.

5) Make collaboration key

The more information that is shared between team members and supply chain partners alike, the better, according to My Management Guide. If you're siloing off deals and data, it's only going to hinder overall performance, so opening things up may be key to unlocking your team's potential.

6) Cultivate leaders on an ongoing basis

Leadership skills have a lot of practical applications for just about every worker, My Management Guide added. As noted above, training is a great way to impart the skills you're looking for, and giving people the opportunity to advance within your team will help keep them engaged and working for you in the long run.

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