Category Management

Applying Category Management in purchasing benefits organizations by providing an approach to reduce the cost of buying goods and services, reduce risk in the supply chain, increase overall value from the supply base and gain access to more innovation from suppliers.

It is a strategic approach that focuses on the vast majority of organizational spend. If applied effectively throughout an entire organization the results can be significantly greater than traditional transactional-based purchasing negotiations.

The category management competence includes: How to conduct spend analysis. How to define categories. How to manage programs. How to set-up a cross-functional team. How to influence and manage stakeholders. How to develop a category strategy. How to implement a category strategy. How to manage change. How to implement continuous improvement activities by category.

Category Management eLearning Courses

Following are the eLearning sources for Category Management –

Spend Analysis	How to collect and segment spend on suppliers. Why and how to do a spend analysis. The opportunity scan.
Introduction to Category Management	Definition of category management. Difference between sourcing and category management. Program governance and steering groups. The five key principles of category management.
Stakeholder Management	How to manage stakeholders.
Spend Analysis	How to collect and segment spend on suppliers. Why and how to do a spend analysis. The opportunity scan.
Category Management – The Initiation Phase	The ten steps of Category Management such as securing the executive sponsor, scoping the category, defining the project charter, gaining first insight, securing quick wins
Category Analysis	Internal data gathering, supply chain mapping, mastering supply market competitiveness (Porter 5 forces), PEST analysis, determining potential sources of leverage, etc.
Category Strategy Development	SWOT analysis. Generating ideas. Creation of the category strategy.
Category Strategy Implementation	The change curve. Scoping update, detailed implementation plan, award criteria etc.
Continuous Improvement	Role of the category manager. Six sigma and DMAIC. The continuous improvement cycle: lessons learned, defining to start-up the process again.