You’re managing a vendor team. How can you ensure they’re working together effectively?

1 Define clear roles and responsibilities

One of the first steps to managing a vendor team is to define the roles and responsibilities of each vendor and how they relate to your project. This will help you avoid confusion, duplication, or gaps in the work. You should also clarify the communication channels, reporting lines, and escalation procedures for each vendor. Make sure that each vendor has a clear understanding of their scope of work, deliverables, deadlines, and quality standards.

2 Establish regular communication and feedback

Communication is key to managing a vendor team, as it helps you monitor the progress, identify issues, and resolve conflicts. You should establish regular communication and feedback mechanisms with your vendors, such as meetings, calls, emails, or reports. You should also encourage your vendors to communicate and coordinate with each other, especially if they are working on interdependent tasks. You can use tools like project management software, shared calendars, or online platforms to facilitate communication and collaboration.

3 Set realistic and measurable goals and expectations

Another important step to managing a vendor team is to set realistic and measurable goals and expectations for your project. You should align your goals and expectations with your vendors and make sure that they are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. You should also track and evaluate your vendors' performance against these goals and expectations, using metrics like quality, timeliness, cost, and customer satisfaction. You should also provide constructive feedback and recognition to your vendors, and address any gaps or issues promptly.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?