How Can You Become A Better Purchasing Professional?

Define the criteria for being a good purchasing professional. Is it cost savings? Continuity of supply? Innovation? All of these and more?

Establish metrics that support the criteria. For example, for continuity of supply, you might select "Percent on-time delivery."

For each metric, determine the value that would separate "good" performance from "average" or "mediocre" performance in your particular situation. For example, for actual cost savings captured, is it $10,000 per year? $100,000 per year? $1,000,000 per year?

Establish the baseline of your current performance. Now that you know the line that separates good performance from mediocre performance, measure your current performance to determine whether you meet, exceed, or fall short of that standard.

Analyze what you do for improvement opportunities. Identify changes that you can make that will help you improve your numbers. If you already exceed the standard, aim even higher!

Improve your performance. Now that you've identified changes you can make, make them!

Hold yourself accountable. Put in place methods of ensuring that you don't lose focus. This can come in the form of charts that you hang in your office, promises to management, self-reward systems, or even hiring a personal coach. It's easy to lose momentum if you don't have some tangible way of maintaining your focus.

Adapted from: Can You Become A Better Purchasing Professional?, http://bit.ly/cTEjKu