How to Create an Excellent Procurement Team

No one likes to feel as if their boss is standing over their shoulders, and more so when it comes to the procurement team, everybody is likely to keep a lot of plates spinning at the same time.

Fremont, CA: When you run your business's procurement department, it's crucial to bring together and perpetually support the best team you can. After all, if you can get everyone on the same page and move them in one direction, the advantages for the company as a whole would take a big step forward.

Here are six ways to build a good procurement team:

Move Everyone who does Purchase 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.

Clearly Define Everyone's Role

Whether you're building a team from scratch, bringing new members to an existing group, or just looking to reshape an old unit, it's vital to make sure everyone has their unique roles and knows how to stay in those lanes. You don't want two people working on the same projects simultaneously, so when everyone understands precisely how they blend into a larger picture, the whole team benefits.

Do Not Micromanage

No one likes to feel as if their boss is standing over their shoulders, and more so when it comes to the procurement team, everybody is likely to keep a lot of plates spinning at the same time. Instead, it also makes more sense to presume that the staff knows what they're doing and can do the job efficiently continuously.

Develop Leaders on an Ongoing Basis

Leadership skills have many practical implications for just about any worker, My Management Guide added. As noted above, training is a great way to share the skills you're looking for, and allowing people to progress inside the team can help keep them motivated and work for you in the long run.

Train Across the Board

Training is essential to almost any professional, and according to Scout Bee, there are multiple avenues that you can pursue with such procurement efforts. This could include a good mixture of the technical skills that come into the work of each individual and the soft skills and those that help workers take the next step when it comes to engaging with the latest and greatest tech. All in all, you want the team to be well-rounded and evolve all the time.

Importance of Collaboration

The more knowledge that is shared between team members and supply chain partners, the better. If you're siloing off deals and info, it's only going to impede overall results, so opening things up can be the key to unlocking your team's potential.