Vendor Risk Management
The challenge
Webster Bank was implementing Vendor Insight, a web-based vendor risk management solution designed to bring greater transparency, structure, and efficiency to the vendor and contract management process.
Previously, vendor requests were largely managed through emails and spreadsheets. That created significant visibility problems.
When an employee submitted a request to onboard a vendor, it could be difficult to determine:
Whether the request had been received
Where it was in the workflow
Who was responsible for the next step
Whether additional information was required
Whether the request was with Legal, Compliance, IT, management, or another stakeholder
For a highly regulated financial institution, this lack of visibility created more than an inconvenience.
Vendor onboarding could involve security reviews, system access, sensitive information, legal considerations, compliance requirements, approvals, and ongoing monitoring.
Delays could affect not only the employee requesting the vendor, but also projects and business activities waiting for that vendor to be approved.
Vendor Insight introduced a more transparent, structured workflow that allowed users to see the status of their requests and understand what actions were required.
The learning challenge was therefore to help employees understand both how to use the new system and their role in maintaining an effective vendor-management process.
Webster Bank was implementing Vendor Insight, a web-based vendor risk management solution designed to bring greater transparency, structure, and efficiency to the vendor and contract management process.
Previously, vendor requests were largely managed through emails and spreadsheets. That created significant visibility problems.
When an employee submitted a request to onboard a vendor, it could be difficult to determine:
Whether the request had been received
Where it was in the workflow
Who was responsible for the next step
Whether additional information was required
Whether the request was with Legal, Compliance, IT, management, or another stakeholder
For a highly regulated financial institution, this lack of visibility created more than an inconvenience.
Vendor onboarding could involve security reviews, system access, sensitive information, legal considerations, compliance requirements, approvals, and ongoing monitoring.
Delays could affect not only the employee requesting the vendor, but also projects and business activities waiting for that vendor to be approved.
Vendor Insight introduced a more transparent, structured workflow that allowed users to see the status of their requests and understand what actions were required.
The learning challenge was therefore to help employees understand both how to use the new system and their role in maintaining an effective vendor-management process.
My Role
I was responsible for project managing, designing, and developing the end-user learning experience for the implementation.
My responsibilities included:
Project management
Learning strategy
Stakeholder engagement
SME collaboration
Instructional design
Content development
E-learning development
Script development
Voiceover vendor management
Coordination with the LMS team
Timeline management
Development of supplemental job aids/resources
I worked directly with the Vendor Risk Management team and subject matter experts to understand the system, the workflow, and the behaviors employees needed to demonstrate.
I was not responsible for training the two system administrators, who worked directly with the technology vendor.
My focus was the end-user population—the employees who would submit and manage vendor requests within the new process.
I was responsible for project managing, designing, and developing the end-user learning experience for the implementation.
My responsibilities included:
Project management
Learning strategy
Stakeholder engagement
SME collaboration
Instructional design
Content development
E-learning development
Script development
Voiceover vendor management
Coordination with the LMS team
Timeline management
Development of supplemental job aids/resources
I worked directly with the Vendor Risk Management team and subject matter experts to understand the system, the workflow, and the behaviors employees needed to demonstrate.
I was not responsible for training the two system administrators, who worked directly with the technology vendor.
My focus was the end-user population—the employees who would submit and manage vendor requests within the new process.
The Approach
I deliberately kept the solution focused. The system was intuitive, and the learning need did not justify a large, instructor-led program. The best solution was targeted digital learning supported by supplemental resources.
1. Start with the user’s workflow
Rather than teaching every feature of Vendor Insight, I focused the learning on what employees actually needed to accomplish.
The course showed users how to:
Access the system
Navigate the interface
Submit a vendor request
Monitor the status of a request
Use their dashboard
Identify outstanding actions
Find the appropriate person when assistance was needed
The goal was not simply “learn the software.” It was: Understand the workflow well enough to move a vendor request through the process effectively.
2. Connect the system to the business purpose
The course also explained why the process mattered.
Employees needed to understand that vendor onboarding was not simply administrative paperwork.
The process protected the organization by helping ensure that vendors were appropriately reviewed, categorized, monitored, and managed.
That included considerations such as security, compliance, legal review, access to systems and information, and ongoing vendor monitoring.
3. Design for ongoing vendor management
The learning went beyond initial onboarding.
Employees also needed to understand their responsibility for keeping vendor information current and notifying Vendor Risk Management when circumstances changed.
The training addressed vendor monitoring, vendor records, document approvals, tasks, reporting, analytics, and responsibilities associated with changes to vendor information.
That reinforced an important behavioral message: Vendor risk management doesn’t end when a vendor is approved.
4. Use the simplest effective modality
The content naturally lent itself to e-learning. There was no need for a classroom session or extensive hands-on lab. The solution used an online course supplemented by job aids/resources that employees could reference after training.
I deliberately kept the solution focused. The system was intuitive, and the learning need did not justify a large, instructor-led program. The best solution was targeted digital learning supported by supplemental resources.
1. Start with the user’s workflow
Rather than teaching every feature of Vendor Insight, I focused the learning on what employees actually needed to accomplish.
The course showed users how to:
Access the system
Navigate the interface
Submit a vendor request
Monitor the status of a request
Use their dashboard
Identify outstanding actions
Find the appropriate person when assistance was needed
The goal was not simply “learn the software.” It was: Understand the workflow well enough to move a vendor request through the process effectively.
2. Connect the system to the business purpose
The course also explained why the process mattered.
Employees needed to understand that vendor onboarding was not simply administrative paperwork.
The process protected the organization by helping ensure that vendors were appropriately reviewed, categorized, monitored, and managed.
That included considerations such as security, compliance, legal review, access to systems and information, and ongoing vendor monitoring.
3. Design for ongoing vendor management
The learning went beyond initial onboarding.
Employees also needed to understand their responsibility for keeping vendor information current and notifying Vendor Risk Management when circumstances changed.
The training addressed vendor monitoring, vendor records, document approvals, tasks, reporting, analytics, and responsibilities associated with changes to vendor information.
That reinforced an important behavioral message: Vendor risk management doesn’t end when a vendor is approved.
4. Use the simplest effective modality
The content naturally lent itself to e-learning. There was no need for a classroom session or extensive hands-on lab. The solution used an online course supplemented by job aids/resources that employees could reference after training.
Leadership & Execution
Although this was a relatively focused project, it required coordination across several groups.
I served as the central learning lead, managing the project timeline and working with:
Vendor Risk Management
Subject matter experts
Leadership
External voiceover resources
The LMS team
Downstream stakeholders responsible for implementation
I developed the learning content and script, coordinated external voiceover talent, managed that vendor relationship, and worked with the LMS coordinator to ensure the completed course was uploaded and assigned appropriately.
I also deliberately kept the scope aligned to the audience.
The Vendor Risk administrators were a small, specialized group who worked directly with the technology vendor. Rather than creating unnecessary training for them, I focused instructional-design resources where they would have the greatest value: the employees who needed to understand and participate in the new workflow.
That is a small decision, but it reflects something important about how I approach learning design: Not every audience needs the same solution.
Although this was a relatively focused project, it required coordination across several groups.
I served as the central learning lead, managing the project timeline and working with:
Vendor Risk Management
Subject matter experts
Leadership
External voiceover resources
The LMS team
Downstream stakeholders responsible for implementation
I developed the learning content and script, coordinated external voiceover talent, managed that vendor relationship, and worked with the LMS coordinator to ensure the completed course was uploaded and assigned appropriately.
I also deliberately kept the scope aligned to the audience.
The Vendor Risk administrators were a small, specialized group who worked directly with the technology vendor. Rather than creating unnecessary training for them, I focused instructional-design resources where they would have the greatest value: the employees who needed to understand and participate in the new workflow.
That is a small decision, but it reflects something important about how I approach learning design: Not every audience needs the same solution.
The Solution
The final solution was a single end-user e-learning course supported by supplemental resources.
The course covered:
Vendor Request Management
How to submit and manage a vendor request.
Workflow Visibility
How to use the dashboard to understand where a request is in the process and what may be outstanding.
Vendor Records
How to access and maintain relevant vendor information.
Approvals & Documentation
How documents, approvals, and required tasks fit into the workflow.
Vendor Monitoring
Why vendors continue to require oversight after initial approval and what employees need to do when vendor circumstances change.
Reporting & Analytics
How the system provides visibility into vendor information and activity.
Risk & Compliance
Why thorough and accurate vendor information matters to the organization. The solution therefore addressed both sides of the learning equation:
How do I use the system? and Why does my participation in this process matter?
The final solution was a single end-user e-learning course supported by supplemental resources.
The course covered:
Vendor Request Management
How to submit and manage a vendor request.
Workflow Visibility
How to use the dashboard to understand where a request is in the process and what may be outstanding.
Vendor Records
How to access and maintain relevant vendor information.
Approvals & Documentation
How documents, approvals, and required tasks fit into the workflow.
Vendor Monitoring
Why vendors continue to require oversight after initial approval and what employees need to do when vendor circumstances change.
Reporting & Analytics
How the system provides visibility into vendor information and activity.
Risk & Compliance
Why thorough and accurate vendor information matters to the organization. The solution therefore addressed both sides of the learning equation:
How do I use the system? and Why does my participation in this process matter?
Impact
The implementation created greater visibility, transparency, and structure around vendor onboarding.
Employees could use Vendor Insight to see where requests were in the workflow rather than relying on email exchanges or individual follow-up.
The system also provided greater visibility into outstanding actions, approvals, documents, and responsibilities across the process.
From a learning perspective, the project created a formalized, documented, reusable learning solution that could be maintained by the process owner.
One of my consistent practices was to provide process owners with the project documentation, content, presentations, and associated artifacts at the conclusion of a project.
That meant the organization didn’t have to depend on me personally to understand what had been developed or how it had been structured.
Instead, the knowledge stayed with the business.
The implementation created greater visibility, transparency, and structure around vendor onboarding.
Employees could use Vendor Insight to see where requests were in the workflow rather than relying on email exchanges or individual follow-up.
The system also provided greater visibility into outstanding actions, approvals, documents, and responsibilities across the process.
From a learning perspective, the project created a formalized, documented, reusable learning solution that could be maintained by the process owner.
One of my consistent practices was to provide process owners with the project documentation, content, presentations, and associated artifacts at the conclusion of a project.
That meant the organization didn’t have to depend on me personally to understand what had been developed or how it had been structured.
Instead, the knowledge stayed with the business.
Reflection
This project expanded my understanding of organizational risk.
Before working on Vendor Insight, vendor risk management was not something I had spent much time thinking about.
I understood that organizations worked with vendors, but I had not fully appreciated the complexity of managing those relationships after a vendor was brought into the organization.
Through the project, I learned that vendor management is an ongoing process.
A vendor’s circumstances can change. A company can experience a security incident, enter financial difficulty, change contacts, or otherwise create new risk for the organization.
That means the organization needs not only a process for bringing vendors in, but also a process for continuously monitoring and managing them.
That insight shaped the learning.
I wanted employees to understand that the information they entered and maintained was not just another administrative requirement.
It contributed to the integrity of the organization’s vendor-risk process.
The project reinforced another principle that has followed me throughout my instructional-design career: The best learning doesn’t simply teach people how to complete a task. It helps them understand why the task matters.
When people understand the purpose behind a process, they are better positioned to perform it accurately—and to recognize when something needs attention.
This project expanded my understanding of organizational risk.
Before working on Vendor Insight, vendor risk management was not something I had spent much time thinking about.
I understood that organizations worked with vendors, but I had not fully appreciated the complexity of managing those relationships after a vendor was brought into the organization.
Through the project, I learned that vendor management is an ongoing process.
A vendor’s circumstances can change. A company can experience a security incident, enter financial difficulty, change contacts, or otherwise create new risk for the organization.
That means the organization needs not only a process for bringing vendors in, but also a process for continuously monitoring and managing them.
That insight shaped the learning.
I wanted employees to understand that the information they entered and maintained was not just another administrative requirement.
It contributed to the integrity of the organization’s vendor-risk process.
The project reinforced another principle that has followed me throughout my instructional-design career: The best learning doesn’t simply teach people how to complete a task. It helps them understand why the task matters.
When people understand the purpose behind a process, they are better positioned to perform it accurately—and to recognize when something needs attention.