Evaluate relationships with external organisations in a food and drink environment

This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to evaluate relationships with external organisations in a food and drink environment. Relationship management is important to all functions across a food and drink business including technical, sales and distribution and is therefore important to the success of a food and drink business. Relationships can be with suppliers, customers, regulatory authorities or others and evaluating the importance of a relationship is key to the way in which a contact is handled and the manpower and resources put into the relationship. You will need the skills and knowledge to quantify the relationship using qualitative and quantitative methods. You will also need the skills and knowledge to make recommendations on the direction a relationship with an external individual or contact will take to relevant people across your organisation. This standard is for you if you work in food and drink manufacture and/or supply operations and are involved in evaluating external relationships with external organisations in a food and drink environment.

Determine criteria

1. determine criteria or key performance indicators by which

   relationships will be assessed and evaluated

2. communicate criteria to colleagues, receive feedback and amend

   criteria accordingly

   Collate information

3. source relevant data and/or information relating to the external

   relationship using a variety of sources internal and external to the

   food and drink business

4. collate the data and/or information

5. liaise with colleagues to gather formal and informal information

   relating to the relationship

6. obtain feedback from external contacts on the management and

   value of the relationship

7. establish the willingness and effectiveness of the external

   individual or organisation to co-operate and work with different

   areas of the food and drink business

8. determine the benefits to the business of working with an external

   individual or organisation

9. gather informal and sensitive information relating to an external

   contact and how to record, handle and use this information

   Evaluate information

10. use collated information and criteria to gauge the value of the

    relationship to the business

11. make recommendations to the relevant people about the need to

    increase contact, modify the methods of working with specific

    external contacts or terminate the relationship with an external

    organisation

1. how to source information and/or data relating to external contacts

   in a food and drink business

   2. why it is important to establish a formal criteria or key

   performance indicator by which a relationship can be assessed

   3. the different methods, quantitative and qualitative, of assessing

   external contacts, their advantages and disadvantages

   4. the use of key performance indicators as a tool in helping

   evaluate external contacts in a food and drink business

   5. why it is important to use informal information relating to an

   external contact and how to do this

   6. how to consult with colleagues to establish criteria and why it is

   important to do so

   7. why it is important to gather feedback from external contacts and

   how to do this

   8. the methods of communication and technology, available to aid

   the gathering of information, in your organisation and how to use

   them

   9. how to collate and present gathered information

   10. the methods of communication and technology available to aid the

   gathering of information in your organisation and how to use them

   11. the external relationships a food and drink business may have

   that are compulsory

   12. what value to the business are specific external contacts

   compared to the resources used to manage them

   13. how to use gathered information to inform decision making around

   determining the value of external contacts

   14. why it is important to inform relevant people of findings and how to

   do this

   15. the organisational and regulatory requirements relating to the

   handling of data