Advantages of Reporting Purchasing Successes
Harry Hough, PhD, founder of the American Purchasing Society
Editor’s note: Dr. Hough is a frequent contributor to this blog.
Purchasing is the single largest generator of profitability in business. Be certain that executive management knows how much you contribute. It is good information for the annual review.
In general, buyers and purchasing managers do a very good job keeping cost under control and obtaining products when needed. They probably don’t do as well reporting their activities and successes. Some feel that it should be apparent that they are performing well; others that it would be unseemly to brag about their achievements and still others who wait to be asked to report.
The oft-repeated adage, “the squeaky hinge gets the grease” applies here to the advantages of reporting purchasing activity. By letting management know the problems and your plan to solve them demonstrates your contribution to the organization. It improves your chances for a higher salary or a promotion. It gains support for your activity and counteracts detrimental remarks from other areas of the organization. It improves your chances of getting feedback for improvement so you will learn more about the company’s plans and objectives.
You may ask what you should report, how often you should report, and in what manner. Much depends on your company’s style. Some organizations frown on adding paperwork. So any written reports should be few and far between. Others want much detail often. Daily is too much except to report unusual emergency situations. Weekly can be a time waster and burdensome. Monthly seems the best for most, but quarterly or less often may be acceptable.
Handbook of Purchasing Management by Dr. Hough
There is no doubt that the reports should be written and carefully filed for reference when needed. Lengthy multi-page reports should be summarized so that busy management can get the highlights quickly. If they have greater interest, they can continue to read the details.
Busy managers like oral reports. Giving reports orally without planning what you are going to say and how you are going to say it can do more harm than good. It is a good idea to write out what you intend to give orally. Read over what you have written to see how it sounds and if it is accurate and covers enough detail. It will help force you to think about what you say before you say it and help avoid mistakes. It will help you be aware of necessary research you may need to do to check facts. The worst thing you can do is to give alleged facts and figures that are found to be inaccurate. It will throw doubt on everything you say.
Although busy managers like oral reports, there are those that prefer a written report that they can study and think about. Others want the oral report but want the written report for review later.
Not only do written reports help you plan what you are going to say, they also help avoid oral mistakes. They are important documentation for reference purposes, and for distribution to members of management or others who can’t attend a live meeting. They help those who may need to take action based on your information.
Written reports are documented evidence of what you said. Memory of oral reports may be faulty. The words on a written report cannot be questioned. The facts can, but not the written words. A report sent by e-mail or an e-mail attachment is acceptable, but the same planning is necessary for the same reasons. It is too easy to send electronic mail without carefully checking what you are saying.