Looking for a change that works? Dennis de Buijzer shares his insights on successful and sustainable change management in procurement. At Dynatos, he is a consultant for the world’s leading spend management platform, Coupa. Dennis’ focus is on digital procurement and process transformation.
1. Design your baseline
Dennis enjoys digging into each and every procurement process. It’s crucial to map out your current workflow to identify problems and areas for improvement. The beauty of change management is finding a baseline that works and is also sustainable. Dennis: ‘Throughout the industry, we see comparable problems. The projects can vary, but process issues tend to be similar. We use that overlap to our advantage. That’s what we base our best practice on. Doing so allows us to apply our thoroughly tested methodology, strategy, and structure to national as well as international projects.’
We are here to create structure. Our goal is to implement a system that unburdens and benefits all.
Dennis de Buijzer, Coupa Consultant by Dynatos.
Dennis’ natural curiosity goes hand in hand with optimization. From start to implementation, his goal is to gain insight and optimization. His primary focus is the procure-to-pay process. ‘We work together as a team of (inter)national colleagues with specific expertise in invoicing and integration. It’s an everchanging field.’ That is why he is as excited about Coupa: ‘The software gets three major updates a year, and its functionalities are developed along with the community. It’s never standing still, but it’s alive! That makes the possibilities continue to grow deeper and wider. And to those updates, we adapt our best practice.’
2. Manage expectations
Such a promising platform sparks enthusiasm. However, Dennis believes in first things first. Process updates require a solid base. Dennis stresses the importance of expectation management. Diving into the procurement process means changing it for the better. Therefore, you need to be on the same page. A trick to slowly but steadily build towards improvements everyone likes to see is to start small.
The beauty of change management is finding a baseline that works and is also sustainable. Doing so allows us to apply our thoroughly tested methodology, strategy, and structure to national as well as international projects.
Dennis de Buijzer, Coupa Consultant by Dynatos.
Dennis: ‘We are here to create structure. Our goal is to implement a system that unburdens and benefits all. The implementations impact business processes, which means our projects involve re-optimizing the client’s internal processes. We are here to support and guide them through it. We know what to focus on in each area, and by sticking to best practices and clear steps, we keep everything on track. The aim is to make it simple and practical.”
3. Create a think tank
Collaboration is key in discussing where you want to go, which changes need to be made, and why. Dennis recommends creating a proper “think tank”: ‘My client’s input is essential. I translate their desires into a Coupa configuration in combination with our best practice. This is what the work is all about. We work together to find the best solution.’
Dennis says to keep two things in mind when assembling your think tank: ‘It’s most efficient to work with a small group of people. These people must also be authorized to make decisions. This prevents project delays when waiting for authorization and permission.’
It is crucial for the think tank and the people working within the organization to support the project. ‘You have to involve the organization’s driving forces. Those people are the ones who work with the software but are also able to engage others. Change will never succeed if your people don’t believe in the opportunities,’ Dennis says.
4. Breathe life into the structure
Dennis likes to think from the client’s perspective. ‘It makes the entire process accessible for the people you work with. It can be overwhelming for the customer to imagine the full workflow. That is why I like to break it down into pieces. First, I clarify what problem we’re solving and how we will do so. Last, what advantages does this have for themselves, their colleagues, and their organization as a whole.’
Automation works. We relieve people from time-consuming and repetitive tasks. As all data is in one system, new insights are easily accessible. Showing this is one way, but encouraging them actually to work with the software and get a sense of it proves to be more successful. That is how you breathe life into the structure.
Dennis de Buijzer, Coupa Consultant by Dynatos.
Introducing people to the perks of Coupa is what Dennis likes best about his job. ‘Automation works. We relieve people from time-consuming and repetitive tasks. As all data is in one system, new insights are easily accessible. Showing this is one way, but encouraging them actually to work with the software and get a sense of it proves to be more successful. That is how you breathe life into the structure.’
