Poor supplier performance

“What contributes to your own poor performance?” Was a question I asked delegates on a supplier management workshop this week. Interestingly ‘being lazy’, ‘incapable of doing it’, ‘not having the skills/expertise’ did not appear on the list. And yet .... They’re frequently the reasons we jump to when let down by others poor performance (including and especially our suppliers). During the discussion an appreciation of all the other reasons for poor performance of our suppliers put a hold on the blame and the judgement of them, and shifted the delegates thinking to what they could do to increase the likelihood of great performance from their suppliers. What do your suppliers need from you so they can deliver the expected performance?

You don’t get married to improve the sex

“You don’t get married to improve the sex” Was a quote from last week’s supplier management workshop when discussing segmenting suppliers. In other words we only want to apply Supplier Relationship Management tools and techniques to the suppliers who have proved they can meet their contractual obligations and performance. Not rush head long into marriage to discover we’re incompatible, and they’re also unreliable and not to be trusted.

What do Chelsea and Procurement have in common?

It's that time of year again when Chelsea Flower Show reminds me of the origins of a process that I've used with clients for over 20 years.

Despite the image above, I'm not talking about gardening clients but procurement clients.

In the late 90s we were struggling to get the managers at the bank that I worked for interested in supplier management. My love of gardening provided a means of getting them a little more interested - in that questions about when they last pruned back their suppliers, or allowed one time in the greenhouse, or what tools were they using to develop their suppliers piqued their interest.

Since then I've shared many a post looking at the analogies between gardening and procurement such as

• Garden full of suppliers

• Benefiting from the fruits of our labours

• Sowing the seeds for cost reduction in your business

• How to have a flourishing procurement garden

• Low hanging fruit

• Would you win best in show? or Would your team win gold at Chelsea?

• Are you business tools just for show? 

• How will your stakeholder's grow?

• Anyone can buy - the difference between the tools in the buying, purchasing and procurement potting sheds

• Or see any of this LYL playlist of vlogs on the subject

Since it's early origins the metaphor got bigger and I wasn't just using gardens as a metaphor for supplier management but nature became a metaphor for our lives and Landscaping Your Life (LYL) was born.

For over 20 years I've had a foot in two camps - purchasing and wider personal development. Whilst often delivering both to clients I've kept my social media separate. That double life has confused clients, and me, which has led to the decision to move my blogging to my personal development blog - Landscaping Your Life.

This week to celebrate this merger I'm going back to my gardening roots. I do hope you'll join me for vlogs, blogs, posts and insights as I visit different landscapes and explore many aspects of landscaping your life, and specifically:

• Mon 20th: Landscaping your potential
• Tues 21st: Landscaping your time
• Wed 22nd: Buzzing with life
• Thurs 23rd: Landscaping your relationships
• Fri 24th: Taking a landscaping your life journey
• Sat 25th: Landscaping your success

I certainly think its time that I allow the Landscaping Your Life seed to germinate, and plant it out into the garden for all to benefit from its insight. 

Alison Smith
Head Gardener
Landscaping Your Life - making life more beautiful

What's your strategy for action?

What’s your strategy for refuelling your car?

Or more precisely, what’s your trigger for action?

• Seeing the fuel indicator get to 1/2 full or perhaps a 1/4?
• Maybe it's reframing the dial and seeing that it's 3/4 empty?
• Hearing the alarm tell you the tank is approaching empty?
• Filling up every Saturday morning?
• Heading for fuel when you’ve a long journey ahead?
• When you notice a cheap price?
• Only when you start to feel the panic about running out of petrol?
• When you pass your favourite petrol station (for a while I frequented one such location due to the M&S food shop on site)
• When you stop for a comfort break
• When waiting to pick up the kids from a class
• Or something else entirely?
• Perhaps it's about exploring other options instead of a petrol fuelled car - electric? taxi and/or car hire.

Are you aware of the decision making criteria that you're using to support this trigger?

• Lowest price
• Lowest total annual cost
• Lowest total lifetime cost
• Retain maximum resale value for the car
• Managing cashflow
• Engine friendly - which I believe supports not leaving it till the alarm has gone off as we stir the bottom of the tank!
• Minimising disruption to your day
• Minimising detours
• Efficient use of time
• Access to car 100% of time with 150 miles capacity
• Reducing stress
• Predictability of your schedule

Criteria that each result in a very different trigger for refuelling.

The reason I ask, is that shortly I’m headed to refuel my car using a different strategy than the one I’ve used for years. A new strategy that will I believe will reduce my stress, use my spare time efficiently, minimise detours and I understand improve the performance of the engine.
You see, I’ve always resisted refuelling the car and my strategy for years, ok decades, has been the sound of the indicator telling me I have x miles till I run out!! Little did I know, whilst using this example on a recent supplier management workshop, that in addition to helping expand delegates’ thinking about the triggers suppliers might have for taking action to avoid problems, it would help me solve my own resistance to refuelling.

Understanding the decision making criteria and arising trigger people use for action can be a very useful tool for problem solving.

For example, in the supplier relationship management workshop we were discussing complaints being received about the service provided by a supplier. A supplier who believed their service was 5* worthy, and yet user feedback suggested it was *2. Once we started to explore the criteria both parties might have for taking action, it wasn't hard to see how problems might have arisen.

Even in the LikedIn post on the subject of refuelling the car it's easy to understand how the different criteria people are using could lead to heated debates if we were needing to find one optimal strategy for fuelling the car:

• One fueller discounting the criteria for minimising stress (ie avoid the alarm strategy),
• Another calculating the annual saving of always buying at the lowest price, and
• Another getting annoyed at the frequency of arriving late for meetings having had to refuel to get to their destination.

What triggers for action might be fuelling ineffective practice in your life?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach

You might also find the post about using nature as our coach for supplier relationship management interesting.

Dear Organisation, with love from Procurement xx

Dearest Organisation,

A year has passed since I first wrote to you professing my love for you, and disappointment that we weren't doing more together.

Disappointment that our main role was firefighting,

  

chasing the low hanging fruit,

and ignoring the elephant in the room.

The elephant in the room that time and time again contributes to getting procurement wrong - such as in these very public disasters and gets bigger every year.

The elephant in the room that means, against our better judgement, we give you what we think you want and focus on price not cost!

This year let's make a commitment - a commitment

• to listen,
• to communicate, 
• to understand each other's needs, 
• to work together,
• to support each other,  
• to challenge the status quo, 
• to be the change we want to see, and 
• do great things together

I'm in - are you?

With love from Procurement xx

For a PDF of the full letter do email me alison@alisonsmith.eu or see my LinkedIn profile - because together we can do great things.

Insight from nature applied to Supplier Management

I love my job - but you know that right?

I particularly love it when I am able to bring everything I do together into one workshop.

Last week I facilitated a 'supplier relationship management' workshop. Although we decided it should really just be entitled 'relationship management' as we acknowledged our own contribution to the relationship and outcomes we get (50:50).

I say facilitated, but perhaps the better word for it was coached, because whilst we did cover some theory and models there was also lots of discussion to help attendees to explore a subject they're already doing on a day to day basis.

Discussion that touched on coaching improved performance, rapport, influencing, developing trust, managing meetings, conflict, and rewarding great performance. 

The aim of coaching is to help people to learn something for themselves - not to be told what to think. Coaching leads to long term changes in thinking and behaving - teaching not so much - unless its supported by coaching once back in the office.

We did touch on the GROW model for coaching performance of suppliers but we also tried a number of unconventional tools (see an advent series of posts from the archives introducing many of these).

Using nature as our coach and metaphor for supplier management was one of the tools that we used on the workshop that I was very pleased with the outcome about.

Imagine the following location:

"Idyllic rural location, ideal for hiking and climbing enthusiasts. Very sociable atmosphere with guests hanging out in the evenings, live music most nights. Unobstructed and breathtaking mountain views. Ideal for single travellers" 

What landscape do you imagine as you read these words?

For IP reasons I can't share with you the image used in the workshop but if you imagine the image at the top of this post with a series of hammocks hanging across from one cliff to another you'll get the idea.

The description above, that one delegate read out to us before showing us the image, had us all imagining something very different. It was used as a reminder to ensure we have the same interpretation as our suppliers about the specification and 'spirit' of the contract.

Of course, we know this insight logically and intellectually. By using nature we're tapping into our unconscious and creative mind. Tapping in more deeply to our inner wisdom might just ensure the insight is not forgotten when we jump to blaming a supplier for not meeting our expectations. Or when we're drafting an action plan and believe the words we're using are obvious and could never get misunderstood - could they? 

Other images and insights chosen in this exercise are shown below, although again I've had to use different images. You may want to view the pictures first and consider your own insights:

What action have these images inspired you to take?

Here's what we got on the day:

All the elements coming together and getting the balance right.

Penguins take it in turns to be on the outside of a huddle and take the brunt of the wind and cold. That is, they understand that can't do it alone and need the support of the whole colony to survive.

All parts of the garden need to be nurtured - watering, feeding, weeding, pruning etc. Other wise we'll just end up with an over grown garden. Which links to many post I've written about the link between supplier and plant management.

Rather than get too distracted with the trees we need to look beyond to the bigger picture to focus on the sky and what's at the other side of the current situation. To remember where we're headed rather than get side tracked or too despondent with the current landscape.

We should be this proud of the relationship we have with our suppliers. Relationships should look calm and serene from the outside even if there's plenty going on under the water.

Back to basics - we can only squeeze so much.

And one image that reflects another insight from the session was - that too much noise can dilute the message you're trying to make and you can lose the clarity both parties need in order to work effectively together. Which is why it's important to not over use the word "urgent" (but that's another post for another day!).

What did you notice as you read this post - what thoughts came to mind that might provide a different perspective on a situation you're facing at the moment?

I'd love to discuss how I may coach your team on any aspect of category management, or supplier management adding in or focusing exclusively on the very important aspects of emotional intelligence and creativity.

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
+44 (0)7770 538159 
alison@alisonsmith.eu

For a wider use of nature as your coach see my Landscaping Your Life blog and also my book Can't see the wood for the trees aimed at helping you get back on track when you're stuck in a rut, up a creek without a paddle, going round in circles, are out on a limb, feel like a fish out of water or can't see the wood for the trees.

Garden full of suppliers

For over 20 years I've used gardening as a metaphor for supplier management. It was the foundation for Landscaping Your Life, a tool I developed and use in my coaching, where nature more broadly is used as a metaphor for life.

Why gardening?

Because many of our internal stakeholders, especially those in the UK, know more about gardening than they do about supplier management.

They know that lawns need mowing.

Lawns also need weeding,

along with many a flower bed (or is it just mine?),

and the odd wall.

The power of the metaphor is realising suppliers also need mowing and weeding - just like that long tail of suppliers that needs to be reduced.

Plants also need pruning, whether it's to ensure they flower again this year,

flower again next year,

or to ensure they're fit for the purpose they're in the garden for anyway (ie like this rhubarb that once it's bolted it is too late to save it for this year's crumbles and pies!)

That's the purpose of supplier contract, risk and performance management reviews. Checking that suppliers continue to meet the needs of the business, and haven't expanded their remit into areas they're not supposed to be in, or clearly have no expertise on.

Sometimes plants/trees need chopping down as they're no longer providing fruit, and have died.

Like those Suppliers whose contract expired years ago, or that keeps getting extended, when no one is really sure what they do, nor value they deliver.

There are plants that are just coming into flower,

plants that continue to flower over a wide period of time,

plants that are just about to flower,

plants that open and close with the sun,

plants that will flower much later, 

and plants that never flower - and are there for their decorative leaves.

Always room for a picture of a cat me thinks, who accompanied me around the garden whilst taking my pics.

Remembering that each supplier has been chosen to meet different business needs. 

Each supplier also with their own needs, some needing time in the greenhouse before planting out (especially here in Scotland),

others more frequent watering,

feeding, or support.

The challenge in business is, that many managers treat suppliers like the tree planted in the corner of the garden, left unmanaged and forgotten with roots that are now undermining the very foundations of the house. Oblivious to how their own behaviour supported the undesirable outcome.

What attention do your suppliers need, and when will you give it to them? 

More analogies between gardening and supplier management can be found on this Purchasing Coach Pinterest board. There's also a number of video blogs on the subject over on a Purchasing Coach playlist.

Watch out on the Purchasing Coach Twitter, Facebook and Instagram this week for insights arising from Chelsea flower show #RHSChelsea that can be applied to supplier management.

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Sowing seeds for effective supplier management.

Mental Health in Procurement

Just as we all have physical health, we also all have mental health. 

A conversation about mental health is however never as easy as one about physical health. Initiatives such as #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek aim to rectify this oversight. 

In support of Mental Health Awareness Week I'd like to invite you to consider what you're doing to support your own, your colleagues' and even your suppliers' mental health.

Over on my Landscaping Your Life blog this week I explore that one place in nature that helps me find balance for mind, body and soul - the local beach here in Scotland as shown below:  

In that post I ask you to consider what landscape keeps you mentally healthy? (Having a landscape that supports me when I'm out of balance is on my prescription for positivity that I refer back to in times of need.) 

Other posts over recent years where I've explored mental health at work include:

• That's just the way business is - my plea to bring our humanity to work with us, and not to condone unacceptable behaviour and hide behind "That's just the way business is".
• Let's talk about it - notes from attending a HeadTorch conference on changing attitudes towards mental health at work.  
• It's not about the Toast - notes from an earlier HeadTorch conference where a piece of interactive theatre (HeadTorch's USP) highlights the need to be aware of what's really going on.    
• Dear Human Being, with love from your Mental Health - a post card sent from our mental health. What would your post card say? And more importantly, would you listen to its advice? 
• How's your suppliers' mental health? A reminder of the stereotypical behaviours buyers exhibit that can have a dramatic and negative impact on suppliers' mental health.
• A Postcard, with love from your Supplier's Mental Health exploring the six key areas that the HSE say cause stress, and exploring what buyers can do to avoid increasing stress in suppliers in these six areas. 
• Are you a toxic leader? Not something anyone would put their hand up and admit to, and yet something I'd suggest is too easy to slip into in business, and often found where we hear "that's just the way business is".

The first of these posts says it all for me - we're human beings with continuum's of mental, physical and spiritual health. Denying our humanity, and leaving it at the office door, means these continuums are frequently compromised. Burying our head in the sand and denying their importance is counter intuitive, and is not the means of achieving a flourishing and sustainable business. 

We have a choice - ignore mental health at work and hope for the best, or embrace it's importance and ensure our actions support personal and organisational flourishing.

What can you do today to ensure your actions support mental health at work? 

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Supporting mental health at work

Benefiting from the Fruits of your Labours

RHS Chelsea flower show is here, and with it the art of the possible.

Every year about this time I think about growing my own vegetables. I think about how lovely it would be to eat the fruits of my labour later in the year. I dream of freshly picked green beans, beetroots straight from the ground, and picking ripe juicy raspberries from the bush. I imagine the recipes I could use, and the wonderful meals I could cook with the home-grown fruits and vegetables. The fun and laughter with the friends I’d invite to share in the delights of my garden.

Then reality sets in as I watch my neighbours as they spend hours I don’t have, nor have the motivation, sowing seeds, carefully putting them in the greenhouse, watering then daily, pricking out and thinning the seeds as they grow, repotting them, and then feeding and generally putting a lot of time and effort into their own fruit and vegetable plots.

When I told Terry, the guy who mows my lawn, of my plans he smiled sweetly as he recalled all the times he’s had to tell me he’s going to prune a bush, or set about the garden to weed it after it’s got very overgrown.

Isn’t that the same in many organisations? Not for fruit and veg but for our suppliers? We have high hopes and expectations of our suppliers, and yet we, and our organisation, are not prepared to put in the effort needed to bring forth that bounty?

If we expect suppliers to do it themselves without our support and assistance then we shouldn’t be surprised if we end up with an overgrown lawn, a tree whose roots are busy undermining the house’s foundations, plants throttling other plants, or plants that have died through lack of water.   

Many of the horror stories of procurement gone wrong can track their origin to suppliers left to fend for themselves, or inadequately cared for. 

Who in your organisation is responsible for tending for your suppliers, and will the fruits of their labours meet organisational expectations in the autumn?

Gardening is a metaphor I often use with non-procurement managers as it’s something they can relate to more easily than the process we enthuse about and understand intimately. This post explores the metaphor further, and I’ve also pulled together a Pinterest board exploring different aspects of the metaphor.

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Unlocking Procurement Potential using Unconventional Tools 

Are your KPIs inspiring positive change?

The challenge when developing workshops is to ensure that the sessions and breakouts embed new knowledge and insight for the delegates. Insight that means delegates go back to the office with changed mindsets, behaviours, ways of doings things or knowledge.

We’re all familiar with death by powerpoint, avoiding that therefore isn't that difficult to do! Developing breakouts is a little trickier, and certainly worth experimenting with.

A recent exercise for KPIs was one such example, and wonderfully helped bring the key learning points alive (even if I say so myself).

In order to have an experience of monitoring the KPIs they'd developed I asked the group to develop KPIs for the supplier management workshop that we could measure daily.

They thought they'd developed SMART and unambiguous KPIs that would drive the right behaviour, and certainly not get in the way of them achieving their stated objectives for the workshop. What we learnt however is, that even with the best intentions, KPIs can easily be counter productive or confusing.

Ambiguity of the KPI

One KPI suggested that 80% of delegates needed to get one 'a-ha' a day. 

As the workshop progressed the definition of an 'a-ha' was refined to include: something you'll do differently as a result of the workshop, an insight, something new, something that's made you think and so on. 

We discussed the % at which we'd be worried - ie 80% took the training from green to amber. What % took the assessment to red, and in need of urgent action?

Not linking KPIs to the outcome you want

Of course a-ha's are not necessarily the things that drive a change in behaviour - which is why I always ask "what will you do differently as a result of the workshop". Which could be better measured a week or month after the workshop, as delegates are asked to reflect on what changes they've noticed themselves making. Or even better their manager is asked to identify positive changes they've noticed,

Not applying weights to KPIs

We explored the impact if the above KPI did dip into red on one day - did that mean the workshop was a disaster? 

We felt the survey monkey to be sent after the workshop would hold a bigger weighting of whether the workshop was a success or not. Which meant we questioned whether there was value in monitoring a-ha's every day at all.

Responsibility for achieving the KPI is one way

I often call the a-ha's light bulb moments. 

We discussed whether it's only the content, and the trainer who has the ability to impact the achievement of these light bulb moments: Lack of clear personal goals for the workshop, distractions, resistance to change, false understanding of current competency level, and even not eating the right things, or drinking enough water can all have an impact on the attention of the delegate. As I touched on yesterday the heating in the room can also impact attention.

Which points to ensuring that the KPI's are seen as the responsibility of all parties involved not just the supplier. After all, if as a trainer I'm just chasing the big a-ha's, my sole focus on this may impact other areas of the training, and the delegates may not take responsibility for their attention and interest to ensure opportunities for a-ha moments are not missed.

KPIs that motivate wrong action

One KPI suggested time keeping needed to be 9-5 +/- 10 minutes. 

This resulted in a conversation about my ability to start before 9, and how many of the delegates would need to missing for me to not start on time, and was that fair to monitor me on something that was being impacted by their actions?  

It was interesting however to observe my behaviour. 

As we came to the end of day 1 I noticed the time was 1647 and said I'd keep in talking until 1650 in order to meet my KPI! A silly example I know, and yet such a great example that if we're not careful our KPIs can drive counter productive behaviours. 

KPI's that don't flex to suit the day to day agreements being made between both parties 

Due to flights on the final day meaning we wanted to leave a little earlier than stated, we extended day 2 by 30 minutes. We realised therefore that the wording of the above KPI needed to state 'agreed time' not to state the precise time. Otherwise we failed to meet the KPI for no reason than it was assumed that every day started at 9 and finished at 5.

The conversation about KPIs then touched on procurement KPIs that also provided examples of the above points:

• Budget reduction targets when procurement don't own the budgets
• Savings targets against first quote which mean suppliers could be asked to ensure they don't put in a good first quote, or are asked for quotes earlier in the process than we should
• Savings KPIs that only monitor forecast saving, and don't go on to measure actual benefit delivered
• Lack of any balanced scorecard with focus purely on savings   

Once you've developed your KPIs how will you ensure they drive positive not negative change in your suppliers or procurement team?

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Inspiring change inside and out

Is your Supplier Management like a thermostat?

Are your suppliers running too hot or too cold, and who is responsible for making adjustments so that they're just right?

On a recent supplier management workshop in Warsaw we were finding the temperature in the room hard to manage. At the end of day one the dip in attention and enthusiasm for the last 30 minutes was put down to the room being much too warm.

What it seemed had been happening is much like supplier relationship management in some organisations, that is:

One person adjusted the thermostat because they were too cold – taking it from -3 on the dial to +1, some time later someone took it to +2, and before long it was at +3, and we were sweltering.

The next day we agreed rules for adjusting the thermostat:

• One person was responsible for altering the dial
• No one else was allowed to change the dial
• The person making the change would get feedback from others before taking action  
• Movement of the dial would be in single moves ie -3 to -2 to -1 and so on
• Time would be allowed before subsequent changes to allow the earlier change to have time to take effect

Which resulted in a much more pleasant working environment.

Much the same I'd suggest applies when managing suppliers – what do you think?

Who is responsible for managing changes with your suppliers, and do they allow for small increments changes allowing time for feedback before taking further action? 

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Inspiring change - inside and out

Are there similarities between F1 and your supplier management

Oh dear - first and second in the world would seem to be a great success but at what cost to Mercedes? More here on the news today that Nico Rosberg won the F1 title in Abu Dhabi.

As I read the report I wondered how it represented many supplier/buyer relationships in organisations?

If Mercedes is the relationship the supplier might be Rosberg, and the buyer Hamilton. Each wanting to win at any cost, ignoring the needs of the long term relationship in favour of the short term win. In fact even going out of their way to scupper the other party (apparently Hamilton drove slowly in an attempt to stop Rosberg coming in third or above).

How much time and energy has been wasted by the relationship to keep these 2 parties even talking I wonder? How sustainable are these actions for the long term relationship?

Where might you be ignoring the calls of the relationship for personal or even organisational gain?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring change - inside and out

This blog feels aligned with the post written during the Olympics about winning together or leaving suppliers as the losers.

Did you tell the source of the problem?

I had a great reminder this week that when we have a problem with a supplier we should go straight to the source of the problem not tell every one else.

You know the sort of thing - supplier x is always late, or staff are rude, or products are faulty. Instead of taking it up directly with the supplier however, everyone moans to everyone else, or they call procurement and demand they change supplier, or even climb the hierarchy demanding that the CPO, CFO, or COO do something. In fact shouldn't someone be sacked for this sort of behaviour! 

Living where I do, near the Forth river/ estuary in Fife Scotland, we occasionally get the odd oil rig anchor off shore. Sometimes for maintenance, and over recent years just 'stacked' because it has no work, waiting until it's needed out in the North Sea (or possibly further afield?).

On previous visits the joke within the town has been that the Christmas tree has arrived. 

As it 'spoils' my view of Edinburgh across the Forth sometimes, ok often, my language has been a little strong. Even if it does stop me taking my view of 12 years for granted when I get it back - sometimes a few months later.

As I returned from delivering some training down South last week imagine the language as I turned the corner and saw the recent 'Christmas tree' had arrived in my absence.

However something was very different. For once I could also hear a dull incessant hum from said tree in my bedroom as I tried to sleep! A little like the sound of an expectant train that never arrives. Dull enough that day time background noise cancelled it out, but loud and incessant enough that it was all you could hear when in a quite bedroom at night. I even wondered about moving to my spare north facing bedroom until it was resolved.

As the weekend progressed and a dull headache appeared I was looking up who to speak to at DEFRA, tweeting the local council and generally moaning that something needed to be done. I even sent off an email to DEFRA - although I have yet to hear from them!

My neighbour and a few other locals had a better idea. Ring the company who owns the oil rig. The response from the receptionist was a contract manager's or procurement manager's dream:

"Oh dear, I'll get straight onto the manager, and I'm sure he'll be able to sort something out if he can. He's a 'sort it out' sort of guy. We'll get back to you when we know something. I can't promise it will be today as he may be on site with limited WIFI etc but I assure you we will get back to you".

She rang an hour or so later to say they had received other complaints, and a site visit was actually taking place that day to try to resolve it!

Whether by fluke or not at 1230 that day my headache disappeared, and many of those talking about the hum on social media said they'd had a good night's sleep. As a noise could still be heard with windows open - even if, from my home, less incessant and annoying - we recognised that might have been only due to a change in wind direction.

A local councillor who had also got involved posted the following on Facebook sharing the council's environment officer's update:

Cllr, Forth Ports have updated me so far as the Platform Engineer was out yesterday (26th) and rerouted an exhaust for the generator on the platform, which they believe to be the source of the hum/drone. Additional baffling is also still being considered. I am proposing to visit again tonight or tomorrow (weather dependant) to reassess if this action may have made a difference in reducing noise levels affecting the complainants

He then went on to say:

Communication routes appear to be open to try and resolve this complaint and I am hopeful these will remain open whilst we try and resolve this issue. Whilst the Platform is working with Forth Ports and ourselves and showing Best Practice, I am not considering any formal action and I hope this issue may be resolved shortly but will of course continue to keep you updated.

The latest update provided 28th Oct:

I have spoken to the Harbour Master again this morning. The Platform has had an acoustic engineer out and they have identified the need for additional work to construct baffles and/or muffler around a generator on the Rig. They have advised that it will take a few days to construct, fabricate and install. 

Isn't that what we need from a supplier when we're having problems:

• Recognition that there's a problem
• Not being defensive
• Not over promising when they can respond or remedy
• Giving us confidence about the person being tasked with solving it 
• Keeping us updated
• Exploration of how they can solve it
• Trying something to solve the problem
• Having other options if that doesn't work
• Keeping communication channels open

Let's remember oil rigs don't normally have to think about their neighbours!

The key of course is us remembering that moaning to others and not directly to the supplier is very rarely going to resolve the situation, and if needed for the future, certainly isn't going to help future relationships with that supplier.

What action can you take today to resolve a problem with one of your suppliers - who do you need to contact, and when will you do it?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Inspiring Change - Inside and out 

I wrote another blog about how to deal with problem suppliers in January (follow the hypertext link to read it).