Do you use real category projects to accelerate learning for your category managers?
Future Purchasing
Building strategic procurement excellence through consultancy, transformation, coaching and training.
In our recent global study, 87% of improvers identify real category projects to provide targeted learning experiences for category managers versus 38% of starters
Future Purchasing Recommends:
As with all forms of skills development, there needs to be a structured approach to?maximise the impact of ‘on-the-job’ learning.?We believe there are three key elements to this:?
1. Prioritise Skills for Development:?Use a competency assessment? (positioned as a training needs?analysis) structured around the key?activities in your category?management process to identify the?skills areas to improve.?
2. Identify Potential Projects: Create?a transparent pipeline of upcoming?category and supplier projects and?identify which specific skills could be?improved by category managers?participating in or leading the?project. Match category managers?to relevant projects.
3. Create Peer Learning Groups: Use?forums with 4-6 members to discuss?experiences with application of tools?and skills on a regular basis. Make?these cross-category for maximum?diversity of experience, knowledge?sharing across the team, and team?building.
These forum sessions should be?facilitated, allowing each person to?report their progress on projects and?receive constructive challenge from the?group. There is also opportunity to?share learnings and work together on?resolving any challenges that the?participants are currently facing.?
Learning goals (3-6-12 months) are set?prior to the project and then rigorously?reviewed, refreshed and linked to?personal and career development?planning.
This powerful approach successfully?transfers the responsibility for learning?to the peer learning groups and results?in sustainable skills improvement and?enhanced performance. Participants?keep a learning log of new approaches?used and the results achieved.
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How can this be applied to my organisation??
Book a free assessment call?
Mark Hubbard, one of our Directors, will walk you through a series of quick questions to determine where you are now and to introduce a structured improvement programme to optimise your category management performance:
FUTURE PURCHASING'S GLOBAL RESEARCH INTO CATEGORY MANAGEMENT
Since 2012, we have undertaken the research five times. More than 1,800 participants from organisations with more than €5tn spend have taken part.
This has provided more than 250,000 data points that allow us to pinpoint best practice and define the missing standards for implementing category management.