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The ideal key user for procurement automation projects

Nominating a key user when implementing new software solutions in purchasing is essential to the success of the project. “Procurement automation project: Why you need a key user” explains what tasks key users perform and which roles they assume when supporting process automation in their department. But which team members are suitable for becoming key users and what requirements do they need to meet? This blog article sheds light on the question which employees make ideal key users for automation projects in procurement. 

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Professional requirements of key users

Business knowledge and experience 

A good key user has extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to the business purpose, business goals and corporate alignment. A key user should act as a reliable representative of the purchasing department, if not the entire company.  

Methodological knowledge 

The key user should be familiar with all the procedures, principles and good practices of the purchasing department. An analytical mindset is beneficial as they need to be detail-oriented while understanding the bigger picture.  

Professional knowledge 

The key user must have a high level of professional competence and a clear understanding of processes in both their own and related areas. They must be very familiar with the tasks and business processes of their department. Often, operational buyers act as key users in process automation projects in purchasing because they have first-hand experience of the processes and workflows that need to be optimised and automated. They are experts in the enterprise’s existing systems and understand the challenges of the daily business. Therefore, they understand the users’ perspective, goals and problems.  

IT affinity  

The key user should have concrete skills in handling the software. Since he or she is going to be the core user of the digital automation solution, IT and technology skills are needed.  

 Understanding of the overall context  

To sum up, the ideal key user combines business knowledge, professional knowledge, methodological and IT skills. To support the implementation of an automation solution in purchasing, the ideal candidate should know the entire P2P process and not only certain steps. They should understand how the interfaces within cross-divisional processes function along the supply chain. For example this applies to the awareness of how purchasing interacts with goods receipt or accounts payable. In short, the ideal key user is interested in the overall connection of processes.  

Social skills of key users

Key users do not only undergo training through the software provider to test the software and provide feedback. They are also responsible for training other users and function as the main contact person for questions and problems.  

The ideal key user has 

• didactic skills  
• conflict skills  
• empathy  
• an interest in supporting and cooperating with team members  

Moreover, key users must be able to explain complex issues in an understandable manner. Communication skills are relevant when it comes to dealing with software providers, IT consultants and end users.  

Personal requirements of key users

The ideal key user has certain character traits that help them to meet the professional and social requirements of the role. Employees are suitable as key users when they are energetic and flexible. Most importantly, they should be open to change and innovation. By being open to how processes can be optimised, key users contribute to a smooth adoption of the digital automation tool. Key users need to be convinced of the value the automation software will add to the purchasing department.  

 All these personal characteristics, social skills and professional competences contribute to the key users being accepted and held in high esteem by teammates. The ideal key user is recognised as a knowledge carrier and competent contact person in his or her department and can therefore mediate between management, staff and the software provider.  

The right key user leads to a successful automation project in purchasing

To conclude, it is not only necessary to choose a key user, but it is also important to choose the right key user for a software project. The ideal key user combines a profound understanding of the business processes with IT affinity, didactic skills and an openness to innovation through automation. These competences ensure that the key user can meet all expectations and successfully support the automation project in purchasing.  

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Procurement automation project: Why you need a key user

Implementing procurement automation software is necessary for operational purchasing departments to stay competitive and resilient. Manual tasks are time-consuming and hinder procurement teams to reach their full potential. It is common for teams to resist change; introducing a new software solution can lead to push back from employees, who often need to be persuaded of the benefits.  

Purchasing departments can be reluctant to determine a key user for the software project. However, having a key user is of great value since they act as an interface between the purchasing department and the software provider. The work of a key user is important for the success of both the implementation and the solution itself.  

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What is a key user?

A key user is an employee who specialises in a product or software and is considered the primary contact person for all questions, problems or trainings that relate to it. 

In purchasing, they play a key role in the introduction of new processes and software solutions. In procurement automation projects, operational buyers often assume the role of the key user. When implementing an automation software in operational procurement, key users support the process by representing the professional interests of their division or department. Their tasks include supporting the definition of the new system’s scope of services, accompanying the introduction process, encouraging the adoption of the software among colleagues, and support colleagues after the go-live.   

What tasks do key users perform?

Key users accompany the entire automation project in operational purchasing and have a wide variety of tasks during the different phases: 

Analysis phase 

Key users help to define the scope for improvement in the purchasing department by formulating the goals and requirements of the automation software.  

Netfira offers a checklist for defining software requirements that support enterprises in specifying users’ goals, IT requirements, business requirements and more.  

The software selection checklist supports companies in defining goals that meet the SMART criteria and selecting the right procurement automation software.  

Key users are also involved in the market analysis; they obtain product information through direct contact with potential software providers and review case study materials.  

Negotiations 

Since key users are often part of the analysis phase, know the existing systems and what functionalities the automation solution should have, it is not uncommon for them to join the negotiations.  

Development of the rollout strategy 

After choosing a software solution, key users are also part of the process of accessing the initial needs and developing the rollout strategy.  

 Implementation phase 

In the implementation phase, key users are indispensable. They ensure that requirements are implemented correctly from a technical point of view. Furthermore, they carry out functional tests and give feedback to the project and management teams on a regular basis.  

 Training phase  

Key users are responsible for designing training concepts and training their team members who will work with the procurement automation software.  

 Go-live  

Key users actively accompany the go-live.  

 After the go-live  

When using the procurement automation solution, key users stay the first point of contact for questions and problems. They collect ideas for improvements and thus contribute to the further development of the automation project.  

What functions and roles do key users have?

Usually, key users fulfil several functions and roles in a company. 

Key users are specialists in their field. They are experts in using the systems and know all processes. They can provide input and offer insight to the challenges in operational procurement like manual document processing on a daily basis.  

As ambassadors, they have two functions: On the one hand, they communicate the underlying idea of the automation software as well as the motives and goals of the department management or executive board to the service provider. On the other hand, they are ambassadors for the purchasing department and the users when communicating with management for they know and understand the problems and challenges.  

Key users take on a central role as testers. They test both beta versions and new versions of the software before they are rolled out in the purchasing department. That way, key users ensure that the automation tool meets the needs of the organisation. Therefore, they are always in direct contact with the software provider to give feedback. 

As trainers, they design training concepts and can explain the functionality and operation of the procurement automation software to the team.  

Key users act as supporters who can answer questions about the operation and use of the automation solution for purchasing.  

As multipliers or corporate influencers, they increase the knowledge about the implemented procurement automation solution and its benefits. They play a vital role in promoting the new solution within the department and thus contribute to greater use and corresponding amortisation.  

What are the benefits of having key users?

Appointing a key user has several benefits:

• Having a key user reduces the training effort. The key user receives a comprehensive training through the software provider and can relay the relevant learnings onto their team, who may not need to understand the full scope of the software.  
• The speed of response is increased because a lot of questions can be answered directly by the key user.  
• The service provider has a clear contact person so that the collaboration is always smooth and efficient.  
• Purchasing benefits from a key user who communicates the needs and challenges in one voice and thus facilitates communication between departments.  

Key users determine the success of a procurement automation software implementation

Whether a key user is determined in a procurement automation project or not, can heavily impact the outcome of the project. The benefits of key users when implementing new software should not be underestimated. They are experts in their field, influencers and a feedback channel to the management level. Key users enable smooth communication between all parties and support the adoption of digital automation tools on both a personal and technical level.  

Global Purchasing Automation at Syntegon

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How document automation helps achieve optimised paperless purchasing processes

For years, business professionals have dreamt of a paperless office. Paperless offices in purchasing are synonyms for efficiency, transparency, and eco-friendliness. Although the advantages of paperless business processes are indisputable, many companies are still reluctant to put the vision into practice. While PDFs and online cloud storage solutions are slowly replacing paper records, the laborious task of processing these documents remains. The benefits of paperless purchasing processes include, among others, cost and time savings, increased productivity and transparency. Purchasing can optimise their processes through the automation of documents along the Procure-to-Pay process. International producer of wood-based materials, Pfleiderer, has made the first step towards a paperless office by implementing the Netfira Platform as a document automation solution.  

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Why purchasing needs paperless processes

Traditionally, the procurement process is paper-based, manual and time-intensive. Buyers need to manually compare, validate, and enter data into downstream systems. Managing large volumes of paperwork, however, can become a challenge for procurement teams. 

“We have known about the concept of the paperless office for years. Most companies just don’t live it. We must accept that a lot of information is stored digitally and no longer needs to be printed out.” Josef Pack, Head of Procurement, Pfleiderer Deutschland GmbH 

The manual processing and exchange of documents and data as well as paper-based record-keeping are no longer sufficient for companies that want an optimal return on their purchasing investment or a resilient strategic supply chain. Document automation along the P2P process is important to the financial health and overall competitive strength of a business—especially if businesses are seeking to build value while reducing costs.  

The benefits of paperless purchasing processes

Cost savings

One of the biggest issues with paper-based systems is costs. Companies’ filing systems require investments in equipment and materials like file folders, cabinets, and shelves. Printers need ink, maintenance, and paper. With automated document processing, printing out paper is not necessary anymore. This reduces costs significantly.  

Time savings and increased productivity

Manually organising, processing, updating, and recovering paper documents is dull and resource-intensive work. Buyers often lack time to focus on value creation because of repetitive manual tasks.  

“We cannot ignore the issue of digitisation. Digitisation means a significant work simplification for our employees as we can operate processes much quicker without using analogue media.” Josef Pack, Head of Procurement, Pfleiderer Deutschland GmbH  

Increased sustainability

Paper production negatively impacts our environment. The process consumes a large quantity of fossil fuels and water and is a key contributor to deforestation as well as air and water pollution. Companies that heavily rely on paper-based processes and activities also need to take the effects of inks and toners into account, as most contain environmentally unfriendly chemicals. Document automation makes paper obsolete and therefore saves resources. 

Optimised paperless purchasing processes – more than just working digitally

Few will argue against the notion that all companies should move towards paperless processes. The benefits are undeniable and many purchasing departments have now refrained from printing out incoming and outgoing documents. However, processing documents as PDFs on a computer is a time-consuming and often frustrating exercise. This process may in fact be paperless but it is far from optimised. Optimised paperless processes, which make work noticeably easier for buyers, only exist when manual work is reduced to a minimum through digitisation and automation. 

Optimised paperless processes rely on automated processes

To become paperless, digitisation is the first step. Often, OCR technology is used to convert documents into a digital format by scanning and digitising information from printed documents, images or handwritten text. In purchasing, buyers mainly use OCR to scan and digitise information, for example from printed invoices. Besides the insufficient reading accuracy of OCR, another disadvantage is that even if PDFs are digitised, they must still be compared and validated manually by the buyers. Only with digital automation tools like the Netfira Platform can document flows be seamlessly digitised and automatically processed. 

Document automation with the Netfira Platform leads to optimised paperless processes

The Netfira Platform is a secure cloud-based SaaS solution for automating the bidirectional exchange of B2B documents and data. It increases operational efficiency along the P2P process and leads to optimised paperless processes by automating all documents, including purchase order confirmations, invoices, shipping notices, purchase orders, quotes and more. 

The platform’s data extraction operates with a data accuracy of nearly 100%, eliminating time-consuming and error-prone manual activities. Manual data entry is not necessary anymore. The software solution automatically extracts relevant data, processes it intelligently and exports it into any ERP system. Buyers do not have to compare and validate every single document anymore.  

The Netfira Platform allows purchasing to achieve nearly 100% automatic processing of documents where there is no deviation. Deviations can be identified quickly and easily in the familiar ERP environment. The platform directs the buyers directly to parameters that need to be checked. The structured and standardised process for handling deviations saves the purchasing department time and reduces stress in the approval process. 

Benefits of automated paperless purchasing processes

1. Automated document processing strengthens procurement’s role

Automated document processing solutions save time and create opportunities for purchasing to play a more active role in helping the company achieve its business objectives. For example, automating the P2P workflow frees purchasing experts to focus on value-generating activities including 

• Improving spend management 
• Strengthening supplier relationships 
• Creating technological innovation partnerships  

Moreover, document automation along the P2P process through software solutions shorten and speed up the procurement cycle. As a result, less capital is caught up in lengthy reviews and evaluations.  

2. Improved transparency and shorter reaction times

Manual purchasing processes prevent transparency and short reaction times. However, for a P2P process to be smooth and efficient, buyers need to have reliable information and need to be able to react to discrepancies or unforeseen changes promptly. This kind of transparency and flexibility can only be achieved through document automation. Through automated workflows, buyers receive information and notifications at the push of a button. Real-time information accelerates purchasing processes and improves the digital connection along the supply chain. 

Optimised paperless purchasing processes through document automation with the Netfira Platform

Through the automated processing of B2B documents and data, the Netfira Platform can not only help enterprises to become paperless but also to reduce manual operational activities to a minimum and to automate their workflows. With the document automation solution from Netfira, procurement benefits from more efficiency, transparent and reliable processes, time and cost savings and shorter reaction times.

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