Ecosystem Strategy & Governance
Assess whether the ISV has built the strategic and governance foundations for the intended use of partners and ecosystems in its GTM and customer lifecycle, including executive ownership, incentive governance, and board-level visibility into partner and route-to-market economics.
Documented partner & ecosystem strategy
A board-approved strategy that specifies the intended role of partners and ecosystems in the GTM and customer lifecycle (including where they are primary, supporting, or not used), not just a generic partner program deck.
Executive sponsorship of incentive alignment
A named executive (CRO, COO, or CEO) owns cross-functional incentive alignment related to the use of partners and ecosystems, not just the channel VP.
Cross-functional incentive visibility
Sales, marketing, product, CS, and channel leadership can see each other's variable compensation structures and targets, including how partner/ecosystem motions are treated.
Comp-to-strategy audit cadence
Comp plans are reviewed against the company's partner/ecosystem strategy on a defined cadence, not only when conflicts surface.
Partner & ecosystem revenue as a board metric
Partner-sourced and partner-influenced revenue (and, where relevant, marketplace revenue) are reported to the board as distinct strategic metrics, not buried in total revenue.
Route-level total cost-of-sale (TCS) comparison
Finance models total cost-of-sale (TCS) for key routes (direct, partner-led, marketplace, etc.) and uses these models in compensation and GTM decisions.
Partner investment tied to LTV
Partner program investments are evaluated against the LTV of partner-sourced customer cohorts, not just Year-1 bookings.
Services multiplier awareness
Leadership understands and tracks the services revenue multiplier partners generate around the product and uses this in ecosystem ROI and strategy decisions.
Partner & ecosystem objectives and role clarity
Clear, measurable objectives for the use of partners and ecosystems and explicit role definitions by partner type and motion, consistent with the overall GTM strategy.
Cross-functional partner & ecosystem steering cadence
A regular cross-functional forum that reviews partner/ecosystem health and incentive alignment, with decisions feeding into GTM, product, and program changes.
Partner Program & Economic Model
Assess whether the partner program design and underlying economics create a compelling, sustainable business for partners and are aligned with the ISV's overall GTM and financial strategy.
Program focus evolves based on partner portfolio data
Program design and channel/alliances KPIs have deliberately shifted over time from "volume and recruitment" to "activation, performance, and health" as the partner base has grown and data has accumulated.
Partner margin benchmarked and competitive
Resale discounts, rebates, and margin structures are explicitly benchmarked against relevant competitors and partner segments, rather than inherited or arbitrarily set.
Partner profitability modeled by partner type
The ISV has modeled total partner economics (margin, rebates, MDF, services revenue) by partner type and route, and can demonstrate a viable business case for each.
Incentives reward services delivery, adoption, and expansion
Partner incentive structures reward partners for delivering services, driving adoption, and expanding accounts, not just for closing initial transactions.
Partner-facing profitability calculator
Partners have access to a tool or model that shows their expected economics (margin, rebates, services opportunity) so they can assess the business case before and during participation in the program.
Partner economics aligned with internal sales comp
The total achievable economics for partners are calibrated against internal direct rep comp and economics, so partners are not structurally disadvantaged when competing or collaborating on deals.
Clear partner value proposition by type and motion
A clear, differentiated value proposition for each major partner type and motion (resell, co-sell, services, marketplace, influence) that explains why and how a partner would build a business with the ISV.
Tiering and requirements aligned to outcomes
Program tiers and their requirements are explicitly linked to the behaviors and outcomes the ISV wants (certifications, pipeline quality, services attach, NRR), not just to revenue thresholds.
Benefits design supports partner profitability
Program benefits (discounts, rebates, MDF, tools, support, co-sell/co-delivery rights) are designed as a coherent package that supports sustainable partner profitability by type and motion.
Program governance and refresh cadence
There is a defined governance model and cadence for reviewing and refreshing program design and economics based on performance, partner feedback, and strategy shifts.
Specialization and co-innovation paths
The program offers clear specialization and co-innovation paths (vertical, solution, technical, services) with defined criteria, benefits, and economics.
Partner Lifecycle & Enablement
Assess how deliberately the ISV manages the partner lifecycle (recruit → onboard → activate → grow → retain) and how well enablement, KPIs, and incentives support partner capability, health, and performance over time.
Channel KPIs beyond bookings
Channel and alliances roles are measured on a balanced set of indicators spanning the full customer lifecycle — including activation, pipeline quality, services attach, partner health, and customer outcomes — not only partner-sourced bookings.
Partner enablement tied to compensation
Channel/alliances compensation explicitly rewards completion and impact of partner enablement (certifications, training, competency attainment), not just recruitment.
Partner health metrics in compensation
Partner retention, growth, and health are measured and incorporated into channel/alliances compensation, not just net-new bookings.
Partner lifecycle definition
The partner lifecycle (recruit → onboard → activate → grow → retain/renew) is explicitly defined with entry/exit criteria and stage-specific metrics.
Role-specific partner enablement
Structured enablement exists for different partner roles (sales, technical, CS, marketing), with clear paths, content, and outcomes.
Enablement impact measurement
Enablement is instrumented: completion, proficiency, and impact on pipeline/ARR are tracked and used to improve content and focus.
Co-selling and co-delivery playbooks
Documented, widely understood playbooks exist for co-selling and co-delivering with partners across key motions (resell, co-sell, services).
Partner success ownership and health scoring
Key partners have named internal "partner success" owners, and a structured health scoring model drives engagement plans.
Partner satisfaction as a Customer Success metric
Partner satisfaction and relationship NPS are tracked and used as input into Customer Success and partner management KPIs.
Revenue Motions & Field Alignment
Assess how well direct sales, SE, CS, and channel teams are aligned around the intended use of partners and routes-to-market, and whether incentives and processes support collaboration rather than conflict.
Channel-neutral crediting
Direct reps receive fair quota and credit treatment on partner-sourced and partner-influenced deals so they are not financially penalised for working with partners.
Territory design incorporates partner coverage
Territory design for direct reps takes partner coverage and capacity into account, rather than ignoring or retrofitting around partners.
Co-sell compensation mechanics
Clear, written compensation mechanics exist for co-sell scenarios, including split-credit rules and accelerators for collaboration.
No perverse discounting incentives
Pricing and discount approval processes do not give direct reps faster, easier, or deeper discount authority that systematically undercuts partner-led motions.
Partner-attach accelerators for direct reps
Direct reps gain clear financial upside (accelerators, bonuses, or multipliers) when partners attach services or play defined roles on their deals.
Marketplace transaction crediting (reps and partners)
Deals transacted through cloud marketplaces (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.) are credited to the relevant direct reps and partners without penalty, so marketplaces are not avoided for compensation reasons.
Quota design reflects partner contribution
Quota models for direct reps incorporate an assumed level of partner-sourced or partner-influenced contribution, so reps are expected to plan with partners, not around them.
SE engagement with partner deals
Pre-sales and technical resources (SEs, solution architects) have clear expectations and incentives to support partner-involved deals, not just direct-owned opportunities.
Co-sell technical collaboration
There are defined patterns for technical collaboration between SEs and partner technical teams (joint discovery, demos, POCs), and they are used in key motions.
Renewal and expansion partner collaboration
Customer Success and account teams have clear expectations and mechanics for involving partners in renewals and expansions where it makes sense.
Product, Marketplace & Services Model
Assess whether product packaging, pricing, marketplace strategy, and services design support the intended use of partners and routes-to-market, and create room for partner-led and services-led value.
Pricing designed for indirect routes
List price, discount structures, and packaging are intentionally designed to support indirect routes (distribution, resale, two-tier) where those routes are part of the strategy.
Marketplace-ready product packaging
Offer structures, SKUs, and billing models are designed so that products can be listed and sold effectively via cloud marketplaces where appropriate.
Partner–marketplace participation model
There is a clear model for how partners participate in and get rewarded for marketplace transactions (e.g., CPPO, private offers, consulting partner of record), alongside traditional routes.
Product roadmap incorporates partner input
Partner and ecosystem input is systematically gathered and used in product roadmap decisions, especially in areas impacting partner offerings and services.
Services-friendly product architecture
Product architecture and configuration model allow and encourage partners to deliver value-added services (implementation, integration, customisation, managed services) without excessive constraints or conflicts.
Services catalog and partner attach strategy
There is a clear services catalog (implementation, advisory, managed services) and a strategy for how partners attach those services to product sales.
Internal pro-serve and partner services role clarity
Clear rules define when internal professional services versus partners lead or deliver services, and these rules are applied in practice.
Partner-ready product architecture
The product is deliberately architected to support partner motions at scale — including versioned partner-facing APIs, sandbox environments, multi-tenant capabilities where relevant, and a change management policy that protects partner integrations.
Marketing, Demand & Co-GTM
Assess how well marketing integrates partners into demand generation, pipeline attribution, and go-to-market motions, and whether economics and processes support effective co-marketing.
Co-marketing investment and MDF effectiveness
Co-marketing investment (including MDF) is structured, accessible, and measured for impact, rather than being ad hoc or purely spend-tracking.
Lead routing to partners
Leads and opportunities are routed to partners based on clear rules and segmentation, not just personal preferences or manual decisions.
Partner-influenced pipeline tracking
Partner-influenced pipeline is tracked in a consistent way, with clear definitions and processes for tagging influence.
Joint value propositions and campaigns
There are clearly defined joint value propositions and repeatable campaign patterns with strategic partners, not just one-off, generic co-branded activities.
Shared marketing KPIs for partner motions
Marketing, sales, and channel agree on shared KPIs for partner-related motions (e.g., sourced/influenced pipeline, conversion, attach), with joint accountability.
Operations, Data & Partner Experience
Assess whether the operational backbone (systems, processes, definitions, SLAs, portals) supports scalable, low-friction partner engagement and trustworthy data for decision-making and incentives.
Shared definitions for partner-sourced and influenced
There is a single, enforced set of definitions for partner-sourced, partner-influenced, co-sell, and marketplace-related deals, used across sales, marketing, finance, and channel.
Deal registration with real protection
Deal registration processes are clear, fast, and offer meaningful protection and advantage to partners who invest early.
Conflict resolution with SLAs
There is a formal, timely process with clear SLAs to resolve conflicts between partners and internal teams over opportunities.
Unified CRM/PRM data and reporting
Data about partners, opportunities, and performance is integrated across CRM, PRM, and finance so that reporting and crediting are accurate and trusted.
Commission and incentive calculation transparency
Partners and internal teams can understand and verify how commissions, rebates, and incentives are calculated for partner-related deals.
Rules of Engagement (RoE) documentation and adoption
Rules of Engagement between direct teams and partners are clearly documented, communicated, and used in everyday decisions.
Partner portal and self-service experience
Partners have access to a modern, usable portal or equivalent experience where they can find content, register deals, manage opportunities, and access tools with minimal friction.
Operational SLAs for partners
Operational SLAs (for deal reg, approvals, support, data updates, etc.) are defined, communicated, and met for partner-facing processes.
Partner feedback loop and experience insight
There is a structured mechanism for gathering, analysing, and acting on partner feedback across touchpoints, feeding into program and operational improvement.
Partner operational data access
Partners have programmatic or self-service access to the operational data they need to manage their motions effectively — including customer health, usage, adoption, influenced pipeline, and their own performance data — without having to request it from the ISV manually.