This article was written by Michaël Rouviere, VP of Fluxym APAC, and first published on LinkedIn
My recent second Covid 19 vaccine’s injection is a great demonstration that any efficient and smart process will create a great customer experience.
As a process efficiency addict, I am always prompt to look for what could be improved in any value chain.
Obviously, a vaccination campaign is a great playground. And the organization in place here in Singapore is nothing short of excellence, from an operational perspective. It could even be used as a case study as the end-to-end process is such a perfect blend of Tools, Organization and People (TOP)
How could procurement functions inspire from it?
The journey through the vaccination center is segmented into steps, each step allowing you to progress further. Roles and responsibilities are well defined, cohort of patients are identified and released on time. Desk is organized according to go-forward principle, completed by a kaizen like approach.
The same principle applies to the procurement activities continuum.
- Are the roles well defined?
- Are the policies in place and well respected?
- Are the workflows as lean as possible?
- Can my internal and external customers bring adjustments, personalize to their preference, or raise any improvement request?
Upon 1st registration, all biodata are compiled and accessible via a QR code.
Then, no data key-in is needed along the process. Only an efficient 2 ways control is performed at each step. Nurse can then focus on preparing the injection, which is ultimately the only purpose of being here.
Here again, the same fundamentals should be considered by any procurement professional.
- Is data centralized?
- Are my suppliers identified with unique ID?
- Is the information populated all along the value chain to avoid any double / triple /… entry by my internal customers?
- Are the controls in place to check the adherence to process?
- How do I ensure the compliance with the procurement and purchasing policy?
And this is where the magic happened: because the nurse had all data accessible immediately, and because the process is well defined and well organized, he has been able to engage with me with a few jokes, using few slang words of my mother tongue as he knew my nationality. In a word, transforming a “sanitary formality” into a pleasant experience.
With a robust process supported by a smart usage of technology, Head of sourcing, Commodity Manager and Buyers will be able to focus on their internal customer’s needs, to advise and guide them or to engage with their suppliers to strengthen the relationship.
This is where and how Procurement function will generate the most value.
Thank you Raffle Medical for giving me the opportunity of this illustration and kudos: your vaccination team rocks!
