“Where Do We Find the Time?” – The Biggest Obstacle to Procurement Productivity

Procurement teams often want to develop supplier collaboration and drive strategic impact, but one question keeps coming up: ‘Where do we find the time?’ When operational tasks dominate the calendar, there’s no room for high-impact work. This blog explores how time constraints limit procurement’s effectiveness—and how to break the cycle.

⏳ Time pressure is the biggest challenge to procurement productivity. Many organizations want to improve supplier management, optimize processes, or elevate procurement’s strategic impact. But something gets in the way: time.

It’s not a lack of budget or skills—it’s simply that operational workload fills the calendar. And when procurement is always in firefighting mode, its impact is lost.

When There’s No Time, Development Stalls

A company decided to invest in improving supplier collaboration. The goal was to build stronger partnerships, systematically track supplier performance, and increase procurement’s contribution to business growth.

But when the procurement team heard the plan, their first reaction was:

🗣️ “Where do we find the time? We’re already overwhelmed!”

This is the core issue in procurement: everyone knows what should be done, but there’s no time to do it.

📍 What happens when procurement is too busy?

🚨 No time to analyze supplier markets—better solutions go undiscovered.

🚨 No process improvements—manual routines remain unchanged.

🚨 No strategic discussions—procurement stays transactional instead of becoming a business partner.

If procurement spends all its time on tenders and contract negotiations, who ensures that it actually drives value?

How to Break the Cycle of Busyness? 

The key isn’t doing more—it’s ensuring time is spent on the right things.

🔹 Personal productivity – Experts need time for strategic work, not just daily tasks.

🔹 Process productivity – Systems and workflows should free up time, not consume it.

🔹 Collaboration productivity – Procurement must discuss impact with the business, not just manage purchases.

Conclusion

⚠️ Procurement’s effectiveness is not measured by how many purchase orders it processes—but by what it has time to achieve.

🔥 How do you ensure that procurement has time to focus on what truly matters? Comment below and let’s discuss!

Where Do We Find the Time - Want More Ideas?

💡 Looking for more insights on procurement development? My blogs and videos provide practical perspectives and concrete takeaways to help make procurement more impactful and strategic. Explore them and find ideas to apply in your work!

📖 BLOGS (in English): https://en.leadersbeaconedu.com/nakokulmiajaoivalluksia

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