One of the most important things we can learn about the procurement function in a prospect or customer organization is how they are viewed by others in their company. If we can learn the answers to questions like these, we will be better prepared to develop a winning strategy:


How is Procurement viewed by other people and organizations in the company?
What is the official name of their function - Purchasing, Procurement, Strategic Sourcing...?
Are they viewed as strategic in nature or more of a purchasing department?
How visible are they at senior management meetings?
Do they have a CPO?
Who does the leader of Procurement report to?
What is Procurement's mandate?
How visible is their mandate in the company?
How effective is Procurement at getting resources for their own use (e.g. budget for their own internal training efforts)?
How well do they understand the various functions of the business?
Are there clashes with any other functional departments in the company? Which ones? Why?
Which departments are they most closely involved and aligned with?
At what point in the typical buying cycle does Procurement get involved?
What types of buying situations are they always involved in?
What types of buying situations are they less involved in?


By finding out the answers to these and other questions, we can form a more compelling strategy. The answers can help us figure out if we can work effectively with procurement or if we need to come up with a different approach.