Figure out gaps and arrange delivery of training to staff

If you are a Supply Management leader you need to get your people to perform beyond what they thought was possible. This section helps you understand the steps needed to identify the strengths of your team and identify gaps that you might be able to fill by appropriate training. Read the notes for this section but also think of the ideal training "gap" and "fill" situation.

In great organizations, HR works closely with functional departments(like Supply management)  to identify training needs. The training needs should ideally flow from the annual performance appraisal- if performance appraisals are done well. Nevertheless, there are some key skills predicted in 2004 that include ethics,cross-functional teams. What's changed since then ? It's globalization,technology including massive infusion of ERP software in supply management. Now these changes sometime pertain to the function of supply management as "hard"  (e.g. supply chain software, six sigma supply chain) and can also be more soft type of skills (e.g. working in a multidisciplinary teams, leading in a recession).

Once you identify gaps in training you try and determine the best way to delivery training. You notes are written pre-recession and so include off-site classroom training, job rotation, mentoring.  In these tight economic times, education and training needs to offer more local opportunities that do not involve long  expensive flights, online training options. And always the local professional chapter events of ISM  and other supply management professional bodies. Certifications like the CPSM is also a great way to validate that you are trained.

So how do you know that the training worked? Think of the training gaps and goals you started with and examine how far the trained person's behavior and results changed. Keep in mind that many training sessions that you go to that are not customized to your organization may not deliver the results you expected. For example, I was told of an organization that sent its people to train on one brand of Supply Chain ERP and eventually the company went for another brand of ERP software and the folks could not use the training!