Selecting and Evaluating Seminars

Now that the economy is showing positive signs of picking up, one of the first areas of interest to top management is education and/or reeducation of their personnel. Supply Managers are now scheduling their education plans for their staffs, and this includes determining what educational "needs" are apparent and what seminars might be available to satisfy those needs.

In reviewing educational needs, the wise and prudent Supply Manager should evaluate what it will take to meet those needs, if those needs can be met with seminar(s), and what seminar(s) are right for their organization. This will entail reviewing the following questions:

• Needs analysis: What are your staffs' most pressing current needs? Do they cover (just to name a few areas): behavioral or attitudinal changes, fundamentals for supply management, source selection and supplier performance evaluation, legal aspects, cost/price analysis, team building, or negotiations?
• What is the best way to meet those educational needs? Should it be through seminars, and, if so, should the staff attend a public seminar or should the seminar be brought in-house?
• Who will provide the seminars? Before determining this, the Supply Manager should review Bob Nahabit's "13 Questions To Ask Any Seminar Provider Before Signing Up" (www.purchasingseminars.com).
• How will you measure whether the seminar selected will be successful? What quantifiable and verifiable measurements are used?
• How will your Supply Management organization be rated, by whom, and how will you know the rating is valid? Are the measurements used so voluminous that a small staff will be required to maintain them, or are they few, simple, and adequate enough to be a byproduct of your system?

These and other related questions are addressed by Mr. Michael Moyer, C.P.M. His insightful discussion of these and other questions has received considerable attention. The demand for his valued input is evidenced in the many requests he has received to speak at dinners and conduct seminars.

Learn how you and your organization can benefit from the experience Mr. Moyer has to offer by contacting M² & Associates, Inc.