Managing overload in procurement is as much about making sure the systems are established to allow agile and efficient processes as much as it is about taking the right approach to the hard times. I’m a big fan of David Allen’s Getting Things Done model. And though I am a lousy practitioner if the whole paradigm, the understanding I have of the basic concepts helps me every day.
When the busy times arrive you’ll be glad you have implemented a framework that allows you to make immediate decisions. If you haven’t done that yet, then as Eckhart Tolle puts it, there is no future, there is no past, there is only the now. So make the most of it.
The Two minute rule
This is a great rule to relieve stress and get quick wins. If something crops up and you can see it will take less that two minutes, then just do it. Not only does this get people off your back and noise out if your inbox, it provides a little boost to your mindset to actually complete something quickly.
Close the Windows
This is one I have to remind myself of constantly. If you are big on multitasking, then you probably spend the last 15 minutes if your work day closing a surprising number of Windows on your PC. Equally, I guarantee there are moments of “I forgot I was working on that” that lead to another hour long push to finish it when you thought it was home time. I like the saying “I’m not good at multitasking, I’m just easily distracted.” There really is no such thing as multitasking, you are in fact time sharing and each new task you start reduces the time you can put into another task. So prioritise rather than multitask. I don’t mean to say that you should work on only one thing at a time, but be realistic about how many balls you can keep in the air at once.
Forcing yourself to close application Windows as you complete working with them will reduce system crashes, keep you on task and avoid forgetting to complete a task.
Systematic approach to decision making
Here is a biggy. David Allen’s model drives the concept that once you pick something up, it us stuck to your fingers until you have made a decision on what the next action is for that item. This is figuratively as well for when the item is an email.
If you can’t do in under 2 minutes, then you need to set up a system that will make sure you will remember to do what ever you have to do it when you need to do it. And you really have to believe it will work, otherwise it will have a piece of your mind until you do something about it.
The action might be to put it an appropriate folder so you can find it when you need it, create a to do task, create a calendar reminder. What ever you do, don’t leave it in the inbox or it will become cluttered and you will become desensitise to it.
A reliable method of tracking work
If you aren’t lucky enough to be working in an organisation that has an effective contract life cycle management solution, then you are going to need a method of keeping on top of the status of your new and existing contracts. A basic list in a spreadsheet is not enough, you need to build something that will do all the hard work of tracking status and filtering the results for you. The contracts register I am using at present provides a method of tracking the status of current procurement processes and who they are assigned to. When I open it, the first page I see is a list if my processes by status and below that a list of contracts that will expire in the next 3 months.
Because I have this tool that the the whole team uses and keep up to date every day, I can drop a piece of information into the electronic or physical folders and know that I will be reminded to do something the next time I look at the My Workload tab of the workbook. I’m covering some details if this tool in the Advanced XL Contracts Register articles, check it out for some tips.
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No is not a dirty word
Sometimes you need to be able to say no. Now a blank “no” will not win you friends or get you that next promotion, but a no backed by clear reporting, review of capacity and justified reasons will actually improve the level of respect you receive. The “no” should also be backed by an alternative solution as well, a delayed delivery date that you can commit to, a different approach or possibly shared effort to shift some load. For example “we currently have 50 concurrent jobs and this ITO has to be released tomorrow. If I flick you the template, can you start building the plan and email it to me and I’ll get back to you by the end of the week”.
It is also sometimes worth letting people know not to bother you for a period of time while you push through some work. Use an out of office notification and put meeting in your calendar for the block of time you need. David Allen points out one of the most disruptive actions people inflict on others in the workplace is the phone call. When someone calls, you immediately stop what you were doing, the momentum can be lost. That precious mental focus could take a while to be regained. Often what they are calling about is not as important as what you were working on. During busy times, discourage phone calls where an email will suffice, emails will allow you to prioritise the issue rather than allow it to be a distraction. If you check your emails regularly and respond with either an answer or confirmation of what action will be taken, then your clients should be content. I find the little popups that fade in and out of the system area a very effective way to keep on top of things in a busy environment without significant distraction. They allow me to watch each email as it pops in and if one looks important, qucikly switch to the inbox for further assessment.
Of course, the most problematic issue is the walk up. Definitely the most challenging aspect of the modern open plan office. If the person is not actually approaching you with a serious issue that must be dealt with immediately, then disengage as quickly as possible by asking them to “pop that in an email could you so I can get it on our task list”.
Don’t be tempted to take short cuts
When we are under the pump, we are often tempted to cut corners, leave out steps or overly simplify a process. This is a slippery slope to disaster that you will regret for months afterwards, if you set a precedent now, your stakeholders will be asking you for months why we can’t take shortcuts again. In a process reform workshop I was involved in once, the question was raised by a senior manager “why can’t we always procure like we do in an emergency?”.
There are two aspects of concerns in this. One is the clear lack of understanding regarding what should be a careful assessment of risk over benefit when procuring in any situation. The second was the indication that all care is thrown to the wind during emergency situations. It is frightening to think that long term contracts could be established without the necessary planning and thought simply because there is a perceived need under emergency conditions. Does it really take longer to do three quotes compared to one quote? Cant a genuine review of the offers provided be too time consuming? Is it really not possible to knock out a simple document outlining why a particular offer was selected?
If you are under the pump, take calculated risks only. Anything you agree to now will be thrown back at you in quiet times so make sure you clearly articulate the reasoning and parametres that form your decision to break process or take a different path to what you normally would. If you aren’t comfortable with the process that is being forced, make sure the contracts established are only short term so you can sort it out it properly in the near future.
Give yourself a break
This is both literally and figuratively. You can only do as much as you can do, so if you fall behind, don’t stress or over think the situation. Work smart and spend a little time prioritising before charging ahead. Effective reporting is critical in these times of high workload. It keeps your stakeholders informed of the status of their process and likely delivery time, it also allows you to demonstrate why you are taking so long. I inherited a hell of a workload from a guy once. The business constantly complained about how slow he was and how he could not be counted on to deliver outcomes. Sadly his method of tracking work was patchy and the reporting model was highly floored. I was immediately in the deep end putting out fires as they cropped up. I quickly realised there was a problem and developed a method of documenting all the current projects and their status. It turned out there were 75 concurrent jobs underway and I was the only resource! No wonder he couldn’t succeed. I was able to demonstrate the load, build a business case and soon had three other members in my team.
On the literal side, don’t burn yourself out. It is all too easy to hunch over a PC all day, reviewing and punching out documents. Maintaining good health and a happy work life balance will give the best chance of being highly productive. Set some time aside to socialise and space out meetings so they act as a regular break away from the grind work.
So if you are having a slow start to the year, now is the time to consider how you can optimise your systems and decision processes. The next end of financial year project rush or spike in consumer demand is only just around the corner, so this time, be a good scout and be prepared.