How will your stakeholders grow?

The BBC's Springwatch just wouldn't be springwatch without Chris Packham and his charts - his delight at conveying data in a chart is contagious. I do have that trait myself - if I can put it in Excel I will and if I can then convey the data graphically all the better. 

Charts and tables aren't just for post activity data analysis they can also be used pre-activity. As you can see in this chart that shows you how to grow vegetables including: 

• what time of year you can plant them in and outside
• ideal soil temperature to enable the seeds to germinate
• their hardiness to weather changes (always needed here in Scotland)
• when to fertilise
• when to water 

Following the advice will optimise the likelihood of the vegetables making it to harvest and eventually the dinner table.

To optimise the likelihood of fruitful relationships with your stakeholders a similar table would be helpful - including information such as:

• likes
• dislikes
• what gets them up in a morning
• what keeps them awake at night
• support needed to enable them to flourish
• influence within the organisation
• support for purchasing/procurement

It's only by knowing this information that you can know how to flex your communication to suit them as an individual and increase the opportunity to influence and engage their support.

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Sowing the seeds of effective stakeholder engagement with your procurement team 

Chart picture Source: thegardencentral.com via Alison on Pinterest

Are your suppliers over stretched?

There are a number of reasons that suppliers can become over stretched e.g.:

• buying organisation getting carried away with what suppliers tell them they can do
• buying organisation asking them to do more and more
• new contracts being accepted using the same resource
• reduced resources available - through illness, ineffeciency etc
• lack of training and support

To resolve the situation, however it's manifested itself whether in poor service, quality or increasing costs, is to:

• Notice the supplier is over stretched
• Explore the reasons for the over stretching
• Take appropriate action  

Simple enough and yet many supplier failures are because we've just buried our head in the sand and hoped the situation would resolve itself.

Which of your suppliers are overstretched and what do you need to do to get them working effectively and efficiently?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Sowing the seeds to ensure your suppliers don't overstretch themselves

Picture Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Alison on Pinterest

Are your business tools just for show?

I love these tools and like the idea of having a go making some for myself but they wouldn't be very useful in the garden.

I suspect those of you with gardens will have a number of more useful tools - unless of course someone else does it for you. How many of them you have, how many you use regularly and what they are will depend on a number of factors: 

• the size of the garden
• style/type of garden
• the function of your garden
• the number of plants
• soil type
• your short/medium and long term objectives
• budget available
• gardening expertise available
• enthusiasm and passion for gardening 
• significant other's views on gardening and use of the garden
• their support for your efforts
• current condition of the tools
• ease of access to the tools
• the weather

However many you have - the fact remains that you wouldn't:

• use a watering can to dig up a weed
• use a spade to prune your shrubs
• plant your seeds in the compost bin or even
• use a hose during a hosepipe ban 

Could you say the same for the business area you work in? What tools do you have available and how many of them are you using? Or are they just hanging on the wall next to the award the business won in 1997?

How much more productive could your teams be if they had access to and were using the right tools for the job?

Alison Smith

The Purchasing Coach

Sowing the seeds for effective use of purchasing tools in your business   

Fork and Spade Picture Source: 27.media.tumblr.com via Alison on Pinterest