Assess current procurement maturity against a recognised capability framework to identify structural gaps.
Warehousing & Procurement
Designing a Procurement Target Operating Model for a Growing Organisation
Design a procurement target operating model that scales with a growing organisation, covering structure, governance, systems and role design across centre-led and category models.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A procurement function that worked well at fifty million in spend often breaks quietly as an organisation grows past several hundred million, because the informal arrangements that once covered gaps in structure, governance and systems stop scaling at the same rate as transaction volume. This course works through the design of a target operating model in the sequence it actually needs to happen: assessing current maturity against a recognised capability framework, deciding between centre-led, decentralised and hybrid structures for category ownership, and defining the roles, decision rights and escalation paths that a RACI alone cannot capture. It then addresses the systems architecture question that most operating model projects underestimate, covering source-to-pay platform selection, master data ownership and integration with the finance and ERP landscape. The final modules cover the transition plan itself: sequencing the move from the current to the target model without stalling live sourcing activity, and setting the governance forums and performance metrics that keep the new model from drifting back into its old habits within a year.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Choose between centre-led, decentralised and hybrid category ownership structures for the organisation's context.
Define roles, decision rights and escalation paths that a generic RACI chart fails to capture.
Evaluate source-to-pay platform options and master data ownership requirements for the target model.
Sequence a transition plan that moves the function to the new model without stalling live sourcing activity.
Design governance forums that sustain category strategy, risk and performance oversight after go-live.
Set performance metrics that detect drift back toward the previous operating model within the first year.
Who Should Attend
Chief procurement officers and heads of procurement leading an organisational redesign.
Procurement transformation leads scoping a target operating model project.
HR business partners supporting role design and change management for procurement.
Finance directors sponsoring a procurement operating model change alongside ERP investment.
Category directors affected by a shift between centre-led and decentralised structures.
Consultants and programme managers running a procurement operating model engagement.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Maturity Assessment and Structural Options
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Assessing Current Procurement Maturity
- Score current capability against a recognised maturity framework covering strategy, people, process and technology.
- Interview stakeholders across finance, operations and category teams to surface pain points a survey would miss.
- Benchmark current spend under management and contract coverage against organisations of comparable size.
- Translate maturity gaps into a prioritised list of design decisions for the target operating model.
Session 2Choosing a Structural Model
- Compare centre-led, decentralised and hybrid structures for category ownership against the organisation's footprint.
- Decide which categories warrant a dedicated category manager against those better served by a generalist buyer.
- Assess the trade-off between local business unit autonomy and enterprise-wide leverage on major categories.
- Model the headcount and skill mix required to operate the chosen structure at current and projected spend.
02Roles, Decision Rights and Governance
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Defining Roles and Decision Rights
- Define role profiles distinguishing category strategy, sourcing execution and contract management responsibilities.
- Set decision rights and approval thresholds that avoid duplicating sign-off across procurement and business units.
- Clarify escalation paths for supplier risk, contract disputes and category strategy disagreements.
- Align procurement role design with finance and legal role boundaries to avoid overlapping mandates.
Session 2Designing Governance Forums
- Establish a category strategy review forum that meets on a cycle aligned with the annual planning calendar.
- Set a supplier risk governance forum with clear escalation criteria into enterprise risk management.
- Define performance reporting cadence and metrics reviewed at each level of the governance structure.
- Assign forum ownership so governance does not lapse once the initial transformation project team disbands.
03Systems Architecture and Master Data
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Selecting a Source-to-Pay Platform
- Define functional requirements for sourcing, contract management, supplier management and purchase-to-pay modules.
- Evaluate integration requirements between the source-to-pay platform and the existing ERP and finance systems.
- Assess vendor implementation approach, data migration scope and change management support during selection.
- Model total cost of ownership across licensing, implementation and ongoing administration.
Session 2Governing Master Data and Reporting
- Assign clear ownership for vendor master, category taxonomy and contract repository data.
- Design a data cleansing and migration plan that precedes rather than follows system go-live.
- Set data quality standards and periodic audit routines to prevent re-accumulation of duplicate records.
- Build a spend analytics layer that draws consistent data from the new systems architecture.
04Transition Planning and Sustaining Change
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Sequencing the Transition
- Sequence the move to the target model in phases that avoid stalling live sourcing and contract renewals.
- Identify quick wins that demonstrate value early in the transition to sustain stakeholder support.
- Plan resourcing and interim role coverage during the period when old and new structures overlap.
- Set a communication plan that explains role and process changes to affected stakeholders before go-live.
Session 2Sustaining the New Operating Model
- Set leading indicators that detect drift back toward the previous operating model within the first year.
- Schedule a formal post-implementation review against the original design objectives at six and twelve months.
- Refresh role profiles and governance forums as spend volume and category complexity continue to grow.
- Embed the operating model into onboarding so new hires inherit the intended structure rather than old habits.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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