Technology Partnership Evaluation
Process
Step 1: Define Partnership Objectives
| Objective | Metric |
|---|---|
| Integration value | Customer adoption rate |
| Market access | Joint pipeline generated |
| Technical capability | Features enabled |
| Competitive position | Market differentiation |
Step 2: Assess Technical Compatibility
| Dimension | Assessment |
|---|---|
| API compatibility | REST/GraphQL/gRPC, auth methods |
| Data formats | Schema compatibility, transformation needs |
| Architecture | Cloud/on-prem alignment |
| Security | Compliance overlap, data handling |
| Performance | Latency, throughput requirements |
Step 3: Evaluate Integration Depth
| Level | Description | Investment |
|---|---|---|
| L1: Referral | Marketing partnership only | Low |
| L2: API link | Basic data exchange | Medium |
| L3: Deep integration | Embedded experience | High |
| L4: Platform | Built on/into each other | Very High |
Step 4: Assess Roadmap Alignment
| Dimension | Partner A | Our Product | Alignment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target market | [market] | [market] | ✅/⚠️/❌ |
| Tech direction | [direction] | [direction] | ✅/⚠️/❌ |
| Release cadence | [cadence] | [cadence] | ✅/⚠️/❌ |
Step 5: Define Support Model
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Integration support | Dedicated partner engineer or documentation |
| Escalation path | Joint escalation process |
| Maintenance | Who owns the integration long-term |
| SLA | Uptime and response commitments |
Output Format
## Partnership Eval: [Partner]
### Objectives: [Goals and metrics]
### Technical Fit: [Compatibility assessment]
### Integration Level: [Recommended depth]
### Risks: [Key concerns]
### Recommendation: [Proceed/Explore/Pass]
Quality Checklist
- Technical compatibility validated with POC
- Business objectives clearly defined
- Roadmap alignment assessed
- Support model agreed upon
- Exit strategy considered
Edge Cases
- For competitors-turned-partners, establish clear boundaries
- If partner is much larger/smaller, plan for resource asymmetry
- For open-source partnerships, clarify contribution and licensing