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name: evaluating-partnerships
description: Evaluates strategic partnerships using systematic assessment frameworks. Use when analyzing potential partnerships, reviewing existing alliances, or making go/no-go partnership decisions.
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Partnership Evaluation Framework

Partnership Scorecard Template:

STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT (25 points)
□ Mission/vision compatibility (0-10)
□ Market positioning synergy (0-10)  
□ Timeline alignment (0-5)

OPERATIONAL FIT (25 points)
□ Resource complementarity (0-10)
□ Process compatibility (0-10)
□ Communication style match (0-5)

FINANCIAL VIABILITY (25 points)
□ Revenue potential (0-10)
□ Cost structure alignment (0-10)
□ Risk/reward balance (0-5)

EXECUTION CAPABILITY (25 points)
□ Track record assessment (0-10)
□ Team competency (0-10)
□ Technology/infrastructure (0-5)

TOTAL: ___/100
Threshold: 70+ = Recommend, 50-69 = Conditional, <50 = Pass

Phase 1: Initial Screening Progress:

• Define partnership objectives and success metrics
• Create partner profile requirements
• Conduct preliminary market research
• Identify 3-5 potential partners

Phase 2: Due Diligence

• Financial health analysis (3 years statements)
• Reference checks (3+ current partners)
• Legal/regulatory compliance review
• Technology/IP assessment
• Cultural alignment evaluation

Phase 3: Strategic Analysis

• Market opportunity sizing
• Competitive advantage mapping
• Risk assessment matrix
• ROI projections (3-year horizon)
• Integration complexity analysis

Phase 4: Decision Framework

• Scorecard completion by evaluation team
• Stakeholder alignment sessions
• Go/no-go recommendation
• Implementation roadmap (if approved)

Example 1: Input: SaaS company evaluating distribution partnership Output:

• Strategic Alignment: 8/10 (complementary products, shared enterprise focus)
• Operational Fit: 6/10 (different sales cycles, compatible tech stack)
• Financial Viability: 9/10 (30% revenue upside, low cannibalization risk)
• Execution Capability: 7/10 (strong track record, limited integration resources) Total: 75/100 - RECOMMEND with integration support

Example 2: Input: Manufacturing firm considering joint venture Output:

• Strategic Alignment: 4/10 (conflicting market priorities)
• Operational Fit: 3/10 (incompatible systems, cultural mismatch)
• Financial Viability: 8/10 (attractive market size)
• Execution Capability: 6/10 (capable but overstretched) Total: 52/100 - CONDITIONAL pending strategic realignment

• Quantify everything possible - Use metrics over subjective assessments
• Include deal-breakers upfront - Legal conflicts, competitive overlaps, cultural misalignment
• Weight criteria by partnership type - Distribution vs. technology vs. strategic alliances require different emphasis
• Set clear thresholds - Define minimum scores before evaluation begins
• Involve key stakeholders - Get input from operations, finance, legal, and business development
• Plan for integration complexity - Factor implementation effort into scoring

• Over-weighting financial metrics - Partnership success requires operational and strategic alignment
• Ignoring cultural fit - Mismatched working styles kill partnerships faster than financial issues
• Insufficient reference checking - Past partnership performance predicts future success
• Unrealistic timeline expectations - Most partnerships take 6-12 months to show meaningful results
• Inadequate exit planning - Define termination criteria and processes upfront
• Single-point evaluation - Use team-based scoring to reduce individual bias