SIG University Certified Supplier Management Professional (CSMP) program graduate John Bayon reflects on his past experiences with implementing governance framework models and what he has learned along the way.
I have truly enjoyed the modules under SIG’s Certified Supplier Management Professional (CSMP), particularly on the topic of Governance, specifically the various business models under a Governance framework.
I have participated in and implemented governance models that focused on business needs throughout my career. While I was fortunate to have access to templates and internal colleagues for support, I needed clarification on the bigger picture that should have considered the overall company organization, mission / purpose, and individual business strategies and relationships with suppliers when creating the governance models.
This knowledge gap was clear as I went through the CSMP modules and gained a deeper understanding of the governance framework and that it was more than just standing up a governance framework to “monitor a business process/ relationship .”Following modules 5 and 6, I began to understand that a business relationship and matching the proper framework, using the “relationship fit” tool, is the best practice to align businesses with suppliers. In a sense, the CSMP program “opened my eyes” to a larger picture of ensuring a comprehensive review of the business needs and the understanding of the relationship with the business and supplier in support of the overall business objectives.
Reflecting on my experience, I recall when I was tasked with leading a request for proposal (RPF) from a list of preselected agencies. At the time, the business I was supporting, marketing, was seeking funding for their 5-year business plan, which, due to the size of the expenditure, required that we go to bid due, hence the RFP. I kicked off the RFP with both new and existing agency partners to participate, and at the time, this was a simple RFP.
At that time, I did not have the benefit of the lessons covered in our CSMP course, but rather, I had to leverage previous work done on similar prior RFPs.
Although the RFP framework was already established (capturing scope, going through the RFP and scoring, chemistry checks, test assignment, and eventually awarding of the business to the winner), I do feel that the overall process would have been smoother had I been able to incorporate our lessons from the course to enhance my leading of the RFP. In recalling all the challenges I encountered throughout the RFP, from collecting and drafting the business requirements, getting input on the questionnaire, and the scoring conducted in each phase, many could have been avoided if I had the knowledge gained from the course.
In the end, the agency selected did an outstanding job, and throughout the RFP process, they did earn the business. Ultimately, the marketing team selected a new agency partner (which surprised us all). Having applied many of the lessons learned, my role in leading that RFP would have been able to identify many of the concerns that eventually popped up during the various phases of the RFP, which were captured in our overall scoring, but the team did not have a clear sense of the why at the time.
Following the RFP with the new agency partner, I was again assigned to develop an oversight plan for this new relationship. At the time, the team requested the standard monthly reviews of metrics / spend and a semi-annual business review. Again, this is another missed opportunity to apply the lessons learned from this course that could have assisted me greatly in developing the proper oversight structure, stakeholders, KPI/metrics, and overall cadence of this new oversight governance program. At the time, I was fortunate that my background in third-party risk management helped establish a basic plan for the oversight. Reflecting, the oversight program could have benefited greatly from all the knowledge gained from this course.
As I continue my career, I now feel armed with the knowledge gained from this course and will apply the principles learned in my next role as I feel that, at a minimum, I know that SIG’s resources and community are there to assist. I have truly enjoyed the SIG’s CSMP program, and I walk away with a deeper appreciation of the community that you have built. Thank you – John Bayon.
The Certified Supplier Management Professional program is a five-week course delivered through SIG University’s unique education platform. Visit our website to learn more about the discipline of governance and enroll for the upcoming semester.