Leverage the Power of Stages 🪜

Building a Crystal-Clear Procurement Pipeline with Definitive Tollgates 🚥

Introduction

In procurement, a well-defined pipeline is your roadmap to success, guiding sourcing, category, and purchasing professionals through complex deals with clarity and purpose. Misunderstandings in pipeline stages can derail workflows, delay savings strategies, and muddy team alignment. Enter the concept of definitive tollgates—clear, actionable checkpoints that mark the transition between stages, ensuring everyone understands when and how to move forward. undrift empowers you to create these tollgates, eliminating administrative confusion and letting you focus on strategic wins. Let’s explore how to craft procurement pipeline stages using tollgates to avoid missteps and rise to the top!

What Are Pipeline Stages and Why Tollgates Matter

Pipeline stages represent the lifecycle of a procurement project—from initial need identification to contract execution. Without clear boundaries, teams risk overlap, missed deadlines, or misaligned actions. Tollgates act as decision points, requiring specific deliverables or approvals before advancing. For example, a tollgate might demand a signed supplier quote before moving from "Negotiation" to "Approval." This structure, supported by undrift’s customizable stages, prevents misunderstandings by enforcing accountability and visibility.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Pipeline Stages with Tollgates 

1. Identify Key Phases
   • Start with core stages: for Example - Intake, Sourcing, Negotiation, Approval, Execution.
   • Example: "Intake" covers need assessment; tollgate is a completed requisition form, or project assigned to procurement associate. 
   • Why: Grounds the pipeline in your process, avoiding vague starting points.
2. Define Tollgate Criteria
   • Set concrete deliverables or approvals for each stage exit.
   • Example: "Sourcing" tollgate is a shortlist of three suppliers with quotes.
   • Why: Ensures progress hinges on tangible outcomes, reducing ambiguity.
3. Assign Responsibilities
   • Link stages to roles (e.g., Sourcing Manager for "Sourcing").
   • Tollgate: Manager’s sign-off on the shortlist.
   • Why: Clarifies ownership, preventing action overlap or neglect.
4. Integrate with undrift
   • Use undrift’s custom stage settings to map stages and document tollgates in Operating Procedures.
   • Example: Automate a task ("Review Shortlist") at the "Sourcing" tollgate.
   • Why: Leverages automation to enforce tollgates, saving manual tracking time.
5. Test and Refine
   • Pilot the pipeline on a project, noting where tollgates cause delays or confusion.
   • Example: If "Approval" tollgate (signed contract) stalls, adjust criteria.
   • Why: Iterative refinement ensures stages evolve with your needs.

Best Practices for Tollgate Success 🤙

• Keep Criteria Specific: Avoid vague tollgates like "agreement reached"—use "signed NDA received" instead.
• Automate Validation: Use undrift’s triggers to notify when tollgate conditions are met.
• Document Clearly: Add tollgate details in undrift Notes for team reference.
• Review Regularly: Assess tollgate effectiveness quarterly to align with savings goals.
• Communicate: Share the pipeline in Executive Summaries to align stakeholders.

Tollgate Example Pipeline ⚠️

• Intake: Tollgate—Requisition Form Approved
• Sourcing: Tollgate—Three Supplier Quotes Received
• Negotiation: Tollgate—Draft Contract Signed by Supplier
• Approval: Tollgate—Final Contract Signed by All Parties
• Execution: Tollgate—Purchase Order Issued

Only move to the next stage once the tollgate has been passed. 

Benefits of a Tollgate-Driven Pipeline 🎉

undrift’s tollgate approach delivers:

• Clarity: No more “where are we?” confusion—tollgates define progress.
• Efficiency: Automation at tollgates cuts admin time, focusing you on strategy.
• Savings: Clear stages accelerate deals, maximizing ROI.
• Alignment: Teams and stakeholders stay in sync, driving success.

Conclusion

A procurement pipeline with definitive tollgates transforms chaos into control, ensuring every action aligns with your goals which will uncover an ocean of opportunity to automate.  With undrift, you can build, automate, and refine these stages to eliminate misunderstandings and empower strategic focus.