Partners · Partner selection · Component
The selection criteria
What is being assessed and how it is weighted, fixed before the candidates are known.
The deliverable
What it is
Criteria written after meeting candidates describe the preferred candidate. Written before, they describe the requirement.
The criterion most often missing is incentive alignment — what the partner gains from your success specifically, as opposed to from the contract existing.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The criteria
Each thing being assessed, with what a strong answer looks like.
3 attributes: Criterion · Strong answer · Weight
LearnThe incentive question
What the partner gains from the partnership working well.
3 attributes: Partner gains · Alignment · Where interests diverge
LearnThe disqualifiers
What rules a candidate out regardless of how well they score elsewhere.
3 attributes: Disqualifier · Reason · Waivable
Learn
Ask what the partner gains from your success specifically. It predicts performance better than capability does.
The other components in partner selection
The partnership case
What the partnership is for, and why it beats building the capability, buying it, or doing without.
LearnThe due diligence record
What was actually checked before committing, and what was found — including what could not be verified.
Learn