Maximizing Procurement Team Training

Training procurement teams is a core component of the procurement transformation process – by learning each persons’ skillset, each persons’ talent may be optimized to achieve the highest results possible. However, when it comes to training a team, generalized on-boarding sessions are not always the best fit for procurement professionals. Since the procurement field is so diverse and constantly changing to accommodate new innovations and technologies, creating training customized and tailored to the needs of procurement professionals can be worth the long-term investment, as it can lead to greater effectiveness at achieving long-term, sustainable goals.

To implement an effective training program, begin with a team-base assessment that will determine individual strengths and weaknesses. Some key areas to consider with this assessment include evaluating category management skills, sourcing experience, negotiations, analytical skills, communication, and strategic thinking. From there, the assessment will act as a benchmark for creating courses that augment these expertise areas; each course will build off one another, that can eventually progress the skills of team members to advanced levels. Formats to consider include in-person, virtual, or remote training, and will consequently determine material needs. Finally, training should end with continuous reviews to determine how to improve the training process, and ensure materials are aligned organization objectives as they evolve.

To gain more in-depth information on the procurement training process, check out Source One’s blog, Building an Effective Procurement Training Program.