Advantages of Reporting Activity

Date: 03/01/2004

In general, buyers and purchasing managers do a very good job keeping cost under control and obtaining products when needed. They probably don’t do as well reporting their activities and successes. Some feel that it should be apparent that they are performing well. Others feel that it would be unseemly to brag about their achievements. There are those who simply are waiting to be asked to report and then they will be ready with all the details.

The often-repeated old saying, “the squeaky hinge gets the grease” could be used to refer to the advantages of reporting purchasing activity. By letting management know the problems and how you plan to solve them makes them aware of your contribution to the organization. It improves your chances for a higher salary or a promotion. It gains support for your activity and counteracts detrimental remarks from other areas of the organization. It improves your chances of getting feedback for improvement so you will learn more about the company’s plans and objectives.

You may ask what you should report, how often you should report, and in what manner. Much depends on your company’s style. Some managements frown on adding paperwork. So any written reports should be few and far between. Others want much detail often. Daily is too much except to report unusual emergency situations. Weekly can be a time waster and burdensome. Monthly seems the best for most, but quarterly or less often may be acceptable.

There is no doubt that the reports should be written and carefully filed for reference when needed. Lengthy multi-page reports should be summarized so that busy management can get the highlights quickly. If they have greater interest, they can continue to read the details.