Market Research and Consulting...

Alliance Planning
Checklists

• Is the proposed alliance activity or process strategic in nature?
• Have you conducted a capability assessment of all potential parties? Have you picked the winner?
• For your chosen partner, have both companies done a cultural assessment to identify areas of difference?
• Is there a clearly identified business need for both parties?
• Has a business case been constructed which identifies the benefits of the alliance?
• Do both parties have similar experiences of alliancing? Is there a common level of maturity?
• Would you hire their managers to run your business?

• Do you have a set of shared goals?
• Do both parties have a common view of success and failure?
• Have you developed a statement of values which dictates how you will work together?
• Is the measures model built?
• Have you agreed how you will report and review progress towards these measures?
• Have you defined the organizational structure of the alliance?
• Have clear stretch targets been set which align to both companies' corporate strategies?
• How would you rate the trust you have in your partner on a scale of 1 to 10?
• Have you agreed how to share the losses if something goes wrong?

• Do you have a mechanism for escalating problems which cannot be resolved within the operational alliance structure?
• Are you focused on delivering some quick wins?
• Do individuals in both companies get rewarded on alliance performance or parent company performance?
• Is there an effective communications process being used?
• Has integrated planning become the way of setting direction, or do both firms plan separately?
• Are there clear milestones and objectives which are regularly reviewed?
• Is there a mechanism for a pit-stop, i.e., a chance to stand back, take stock, and then drive forward again?