How your partner program reached this scale

• Tell me briefly how your partner program reached its current scale, including the key inflection that made spreadsheets feel insufficient.
• Count how many active partners you manage today. Options: Under 25, 25–49, 50–99, 100–249, 250 or more
• Which partner tiers do you operate and how do you distinguish them (revenue, capability, geography, or other)? Options: Revenue tier, Capability or specialization, Geographic market, Strategic accounts only, Other
• Who on your team currently owns partner onboarding, deal registration, MDF administration, and attribution reporting? Options: Single owner for all, Separate owners for each area, Shared across ops and sales, Not clearly owned, Other
• Walk me through a typical partner onboarding from signup to first registered deal, naming each handoff point and the owner at that step.
• Where do you see the biggest manual work today, spreadsheets, email threads, or CRM edits? Options: Spreadsheets, Email threads, CRM edits, Shared folders, Other
• Describe the month-to-month volume you see for deal registrations, MDF claims, and partner-sourced leads.

Where the day-to-day breaks first

• If you could change one operational habit that would cut reconciliation time in half, what would you stop or start doing tomorrow?
• When approvals stall, which downstream reports or forecasts become unreliable for your leadership? Options: Revenue forecast, Pipeline by rep, MDF utilization, Partner performance, All of the above
• Explain how partners currently discover and access the portal or registration process, including common support paths. Options: Self-serve portal, Email submissions, Sales rep assisted, Partner success outreach, Other
• Rate the typical fidelity of partner-provided deal data when it lands in your CRM, from 1 (many gaps) to 5 (consistently complete). Options: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Share one recent example where a partner workflow diverged from your standard process and what it cost you.

The incidents that keep you up at night

• Imagine a channel conflict removed deals from your forecast last quarter, how did that first surface and who noticed it?
• Who within your org led the root cause work on that incident and how long did the investigation take? Options: Partner ops, Sales leadership, CRM/BI team, Legal/compliance, Cross-functional task force
• List the last three partner-related incidents you logged, and for each give the primary cause (data, process, integration, or partner behavior). Options: Data quality, Process gap, Integration failure, Partner behavior, Other
• Estimate the average internal hours lost per incident in owner time, meetings, and system fixes. Options: Under 8 hours, 8–24 hours, 1–3 days, 3–7 days, More than a week
• Would resolving these recurring incidents remove the need to hire additional headcount this year? Options: Yes, Partially, No, Unsure

Can you actually support a fast configuration?

• What integration failure or missing capability would stop this project within your target timeline?
• Identify every third-party system we must integrate with for partner-sourced deals and attribution (CRM, PRM, ERP, marketing automation, data warehouse). Options: CRM, PRM/partner portal, ERP/finance, Marketing automation, Data warehouse/BI, Other
• Confirm whether APIs or scheduled exports exist for those systems and who in your team controls the credentials. Options: APIs available and credentials ready, APIs available but credentials need access, Only scheduled exports available, No programmatic access available, Unsure
• Name the person or team who can provide data extracts and their typical SLA for delivery.
• Are there legal, compliance, or procurement steps that will gate sandbox access, API keys, or data movement? Options: Yes, legal review required, Yes, compliance review required, Procurement approvals required, No significant gates, Unsure
• How many dedicated technical hours per week can you commit during a six to ten week configuration window? Options: Under 10 hours/week, 10–20 hours/week, 20–40 hours/week, More than 40 hours/week

The other paths you are weighing

• Which vendors, incumbent solutions, or internal options are on your shortlist right now? Options: Current incumbent, Direct competitor A, Direct competitor B, Internal build, Other
• What would have to be true about your current approach for you to stay with it instead of moving to a new platform? Options: No loss in pipeline accuracy, Same CRM integration model, No change to partner workflows, Lower total cost, Other
• Has anyone on your leadership team proposed solving this with an internal build instead of a vendor, and who is the sponsor? Options: Yes, product/engineering, Yes, partner ops, Yes, IT/Platform, No internal build proposed, Unsure
• If you stayed with the incumbent, which specific metrics would need to improve and by how much for you to change your mind?
• Select the top reasons you might prefer an internal fix over an external platform. Options: Lower cost, Tighter control, Custom workflows, Avoid vendor lock, Faster initial delivery

If this works, what changes for you

• Describe the concrete result that would make this project a clear success at the end of the first quarter after rollout.
• Identify the adoption and attribution targets that would justify moving from pilot to full rollout. Options: Partner adoption >50% in 60 days, Partner adoption >80% in 60 days, Attribution accuracy >90%, Reduction in disputes by 30%, Other
• How would validated pilot results change your procurement or contract timeline? Options: Sign within a week, Sign within a month, Require executive review, No change to timeline, Unsure
• Share the internal stakeholders who must sign off at pilot completion and the primary metric each will care about.
• Name the single blocker that could still delay a signature even after a successful pilot, for example data access, security signoff, or budget hold. Options: Data access, Security/compliance, Budget/finance, Procurement process, Executive priority shift, Other

Decision doors and next steps

• Imagine leadership deprioritizes this initiative, what timeline consequences would that create for your rollout plans?
• Rate your internal appetite for a six to ten week configuration window on a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 is resistant and 5 is fully committed. Options: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
• Confirm whether pilot and rollout budget is already allocated or if approvals are required. Options: Budget allocated for pilot and rollout, Budget allocated for pilot only, Budget requires approval, No budget identified yet, Unsure
• List the milestones you must see during a partner pilot to greenlight a full rollout, for example deal registration speed, portal NPS, and CRM sync reliability. Options: Deal registration <4 hours, Portal usability NPS >40, CRM sync success rate >99%, MDF reconciliation matches finance, Other
• Designate the single decision owner for the pilot go/no-go and an alternate approver if that person is unavailable.
• Provide a realistic target date to begin configuration assuming required approvals and data access are granted. Options: Within 2 weeks, Within 4 weeks, Within 8 weeks, Later than 8 weeks, Unsure

• Solution Experience — Partner Onboarding, Deal Registration, MDF, Attribution

• Confirm the current state and its cost
• You confirm the demonstrated workflow removes the manual rework and missed registrations you described.
• Deliver a recorded walkthrough of the run deal scenario including exported audit logs and measured time-to-approval.
• Map a recent deal end-to-end in your current workflow
• You agree the platform's approval time and auditability meet your operational target or define an acceptable threshold.
• Provide a sample CRM field mapping export and suggested mappings for your current CRM category.
• Run the same deal through the platform scenario
• Provide one representative partner profile and one recent deal dataset to use in the pilot run.
• You confirm pilot acceptance criteria for portal adoption, MDF reconciliation accuracy, and CRM mapping reliability.
• Confirm numeric acceptance thresholds for approval time, partner adoption rate, and MDF reconciliation accuracy for pilot evaluation.
• Show CRM integration and audit trail for the run
• Validate the demonstrated future state
• Agree acceptance criteria and remaining evidence for the pilot

• Solution Experience — Partner Onboarding, Deal Registration, MDF, Attribution
• Solution Experience Deck
• Solution Brief

• meeting
• slides
• document

Partner interaction snapshot

• How many active partners will be included in this rollout?
• Which partner tiers or segments do you use today? Options: Strategic, Tier 1 / Platinum, Tier 2 / Gold, Tier 3 / Silver, Reseller, Referral, Distributor, Other
• Which channels do partners primarily use to communicate about deals and program questions? Options: Email, Partner portal, Phone/voice, Instant messaging (Slack or Teams), CRM comments, Ticketing system, Other
• Who on your side is responsible for partner communications day-to-day? Options: Partner manager, Partner operations, Sales representative, Channel marketing, Customer success, Other
• Which partner-facing systems do partners already log into regularly? Options: CRM partner portal, File sharing (Drive/SharePoint), Learning/enablement platform, Ticketing/support portal, Billing/finance portal, None, Other

Deal registration and pipeline workflows

• How do partners currently submit deal registrations? Options: Email, Spreadsheet, Shared web form, CRM portal, Phone, Other
• What is the typical approval path for a registered deal? Options: Automatic approval, Partner operations → Sales manager, Partner manager → Sales leadership, Multiple approvers in sequence, Ad hoc/manual routing, Other
• How long does the deal registration approval usually take today? Options: Under 4 hours, 4–24 hours, 1–3 business days, More than 3 business days, Variable/unknown
• Which CRM fields or deal attributes must be preserved from partner submissions?
• How do you handle overlapping registrations or channel conflicts today? Options: First come, first served, Sales owner assignment (region/product), Manual conflict resolution, Policy-based arbitration, Other
• What visibility do partners currently have into the status of their submitted deals? Options: Full status updates in a portal, Email status updates only, Status visible internally only, No visibility provided, Other

Onboarding and training patterns

• What is your typical partner onboarding duration? Options: Less than 1 week, 1–4 weeks, 1–3 months, Longer than 3 months, Variable
• Which onboarding materials do you provide today? Options: Welcome packet, Self-serve documentation, Recorded training videos, Live webinars, Certification courses, Playbooks / process guides, Other
• What is the primary way partners complete training? Options: Self-serve online, Scheduled live sessions, One-on-one onboarding, Hands-on sandbox sessions, No formal training, Other
• What percentage of partners complete onboarding within your target window? Options: 90% or more, 70–89%, 50–69%, Less than 50%, Unknown
• Which languages or time zones must training support for effective adoption?
• Do you have partner champions or power users who assist with onboarding peers? Options: Yes, formal champion program, Yes, informal champions, No, Unsure

Communication and escalation

• How often do you send formal communications to partners (newsletters, product updates, AMAs)? Options: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad hoc, None
• Which escalation path should partners use for urgent issues? Options: Dedicated partner support line, Email to partner manager, Ticketing portal, Escalation to sales leadership, No defined path, Other
• Do you maintain SLAs for responding to partner inquiries? Options: Yes, documented SLAs, Informal internal targets, No SLAs, Unsure
• How do you currently collect partner feedback on tools and processes? Options: Surveys, Regular review or QBR calls, In-portal feedback, Ad hoc emails/threads, We do not collect feedback, Other
• Who is accountable for partner issue resolution and escalations after initial triage? Options: Partner operations, Partner manager, Sales rep, Customer success, Dedicated support team, Other

Adoption risks and pain points

• List up to three reasons partners currently avoid using partner-facing systems.
• Which technical issues most commonly block partner usage? Options: Login or authentication failures, CRM integration errors, Slow or unreliable performance, Missing or incorrect data, Mobile incompatibility, Other
• How often do partners bypass formal systems and use email or phone for critical actions? Options: Almost always, Often, Sometimes, Rarely, Never
• Have partners raised concerns about data sharing, reporting accuracy, or attribution? Options: Privacy/security concerns, Accuracy/attribution concerns, Lack of visibility, No concerns raised, Other
• What internal barriers (people, process, or tools) might slow partner adoption after rollout?
• What would make partners more likely to adopt the new portal quickly?

Readiness and success indicators

• Which adoption metrics will you use to judge rollout success? Options: Portal login rate, Deal registrations submitted via portal, Time to approval for registrations, Training completion rate, Partner NPS or satisfaction, MDF / fund requests via portal, Other
• What are acceptable numeric targets for initial pilot adoption (for example, portal adoption or registration rate)?
• What minimum pilot size (number of partners) would you consider valid for evaluation? Options: Less than 5, 5–10, 11–25, 26–50, More than 50, Other
• What specific outcome or metric would indicate the rollout is at risk and should be paused or reworked?
• Who on your team will own ongoing partner training and adoption tracking after go-live? Options: Partner operations, Partner managers, Sales enablement, Customer success, Dedicated adoption manager, Other

Rollout constraints and preferences

• Are there integration or security constraints the platform must meet before partners can use it? Options: SAML/SSO required, Specific IP allowlisting, Data residency requirements, SOC2 or ISO compliance required, Encryption requirements, None, Other
• Do you prefer a phased rollout by partner tier, geography, product line, or an all-at-once approach? Options: By partner tier, By geography, By product line, All at once, Other
• What is your ideal timeline for configuration, pilot, and full rollout?

• Provision partner accounts and role access
• Configure partner onboarding workflows
• Migrate CRM records and deal history
• Integrate with source CRM for bidirectional sync
• Configure deal registration and approval flows
• Deploy conflict detection and arbitration rules
• Set up MDF fund management and automated reconciliation
• Deploy co-branded content library and distribution
• Enable pipeline sharing and partner pipeline sync
• Create partner performance dashboards and reports
• Customize partner portal branding and UX
• Deliver partner onboarding training and adoption playbook
• Export API access and BI data connectors
• Configure partner tiers, permissions, and incentives

Provision partner accounts and role access

• How many partner accounts do you expect to provision at go-live and within 12 months? Options: Less than 50, 50-250, 251-1,000, More than 1,000
• Which role templates should be available for partner users (sales rep, partner admin, marketer)? Options: Sales rep, Partner admin, Marketing user, Executive / Read-only, Other
• Do you require automated user provisioning via SCIM or will you upload CSVs for initial population? Options: SCIM / IdP sync, CSV bulk upload, Manual invite only, Combination
• When should a newly provisioned partner user gain access after contract signature (immediate, after verification, after training)? Options: Immediate, After partner verification, After training completion, Other
• Who in your organization will own day-to-day partner account administration and permission changes?
• Provide any single sign-on (SAML/OpenID Connect) identity provider entity ID and required attributes we must support for partner login.

Configure partner onboarding workflows

• How will you define a partner as 'onboarded' in operational terms (contract signed, tax docs uploaded, first deal registered)? Options: Contract signed, Required documents uploaded, First deal registered, Other
• Which specific documents must partners upload during onboarding (tax forms, master services agreement, training certificates)? Options: Tax form, Master services agreement, Training certificate, Other
• Do you want a staged onboarding checklist shown on the partner profile and reflected in CRM activities? Options: Yes, No
• Specify the email and notification cadence for onboarding reminders (days between reminders and total reminders).
• Which onboarding tasks require your legal or compliance review as a gating step?
• Would you like an automated welcome package with co-branded assets and starter guides delivered after onboarding completion? Options: Yes, No

Migrate CRM records and deal history

• Which CRM objects must be migrated from your current CRM (accounts, contacts, opportunities, custom opportunity fields, attachments)? Options: Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, Custom objects/fields, Attachments
• Which date range of opportunity history should be included in the migration (for example, last 24 months)? Options: Last 12 months, Last 24 months, All history, Custom range
• How many records do you anticipate for each object type (provide approximate counts for accounts, contacts, opportunities)?
• Do opportunities require preservation of attachments and activity history (emails, tasks, notes)? Options: Yes, include attachments and activity history, No, opportunities only
• Specify the deduplication rules to apply during migration (match on account domain, tax ID, external ID).
• Confirm the migration acceptance threshold for data completeness and field fidelity as a percentage (minimum acceptable percent of opportunities and custom fields migrated intact). Options: 90%, 95%, 98%, Custom

Integrate with source CRM for bidirectional sync

• Which CRM objects require bidirectional sync with the integration endpoint (accounts, opportunities, contacts, custom objects)? Options: Accounts, Opportunities, Contacts, Custom objects
• Which unique keys should be used to match records across systems (account ID, external ID, email, domain)? Options: Account ID, External ID, Email, Domain, Other
• Do you prefer real-time sync, near real-time (5-15 minutes), or nightly batch for opportunity updates? Options: Real-time, Near real-time (5-15m), Nightly batch
• How should concurrent updates be resolved when the same opportunity is edited in both systems (last-write-wins, CRM authoritative for specific fields)? Options: Last-write-wins, Source CRM authoritative for selected fields, Platform authoritative, Custom arbitration rules
• Which authentication method will the source CRM integration use for API access (OAuth2, API token) and do you have sandbox credentials available? Options: OAuth2, API token, Other
• Confirm the acceptable maximum sync lag and allowable sync error rate for go-live acceptance (for example, average write latency <5 minutes and <1% reconciliation errors).

Configure deal registration and approval flows

• Which fields are mandatory on a deal registration form in your process (partner, account name, product, estimated ARR, expected close date)? Options: Partner, Account, Product, Estimated ARR, Expected close date, Other
• Which approval chain should apply to registrations above threshold values (partner manager, channel ops, legal)? Options: Partner manager, Channel operations, Legal, Other
• Do you want auto-approval rules for registrations under a monetary threshold or from specific partner tiers? Options: Yes - by amount, Yes - by tier, No, manual approval only
• How should an approved registration map to the source CRM opportunity (create a new opportunity, attach to an existing opportunity number, create a placeholder opportunity)? Options: Create new opportunity, Attach to existing opportunity, Create placeholder opportunity, Other
• Which notifications should be sent on registration status changes and to which email lists or CRM users?
• Confirm the measurable acceptance criteria for deal registration processing time and successful CRM write (for example average approval under 4 hours and CRM sync accuracy >= 99%).

Deploy conflict detection and arbitration rules

• How should the system detect conflicting registrations (same account-product overlap, overlapping opportunity periods)?
• Which priority rules resolve conflicts (first to register, partner tier priority, territory owner)? Options: First to register, Partner tier priority, Territory owner, Manual arbitration
• Who should be notified to perform arbitration when manual review is required and what contact method is preferred?
• At what dollar threshold or percentage overlap should a conflict escalate to legal or senior ops review?
• Do you require audit trails and exportable dispute packets (registration, partner evidence, reviewer notes) for every arbitration? Options: Yes, No
• How long must conflict decisions and supporting evidence be retained for compliance or dispute purposes? Options: 6 months, 12 months, 24 months, Custom

Set up MDF fund management and automated reconciliation

• Which types of MDF pools do you manage (regional pools, tiered pools, product-specific budgets)? Options: Regional, Tiered, Product-specific, Other
• What is the minimum claim amount and required supporting documentation for a claim (invoice, proof of performance, PO)?
• Describe your preferred reconciliation cadence and output (monthly ledger export, quarterly statements, API delivery). Options: Monthly ledger export, Quarterly statement, API delivery, Other
• Do you require automated pre-validation rules for claims (budget available, claim completeness, vendor eligibility)? Options: Yes, No
• Which currency and tax handling rules must the platform support for MDF payouts and reconciliations?
• Would you like automated notifications when claims push a partner or pool over budget thresholds? Options: Yes, No

Deploy co-branded content library and distribution

• Which asset types will live in the co-branded library (PDF sell sheets, slide decks, email templates, image banners)? Options: PDFs, Slide decks, Email templates, Image banners, Video
• What file formats and maximum file sizes must the library support for partner downloads? Options: PDF, PPTX, PNG/JPEG, MP4, Other
• Do you need an approval workflow for new assets before distribution and who approves them? Options: Yes, No
• Which dynamic co-branding elements must be supported (logo placement, partner color swap, contact info merge)?
• How should asset distribution be tracked (download counts, partner-level usage, campaign association)? Options: Download counts, Partner usage reports, Campaign association, Other
• Are there asset expiration rules or archival policies we must enforce for co-branded collateral? Options: Yes, No

Enable pipeline sharing and partner pipeline sync

• Which pipeline fields may partners view in shared pipelines (opportunity name, stage, ARR, close date)? Options: Opportunity name, Stage, ARR, Close date, Custom fields
• Do partners get visibility to forecast category or only confirmed pipeline figures? Options: Forecast category included, Confirmed pipeline only
• How frequently should partner pipeline summaries sync to the source CRM (real-time, hourly, daily, weekly)? Options: Real-time, Hourly, Daily, Weekly
• Which partner-level KPIs should be included in the pipeline feed (registered deals, pipeline value, win rate)? Options: Registered deals, Pipeline value, Win rate, Other
• Do you require anonymization of competitor or sensitive deal details before sharing with partners? Options: Yes, No
• Specify any CRM field mappings we must apply when syncing pipeline objects (stage mapping, currency conversion).

Create partner performance dashboards and reports

• Which performance metrics must appear on partner dashboards (pipeline coverage, registered deals, MDF utilization, revenue influenced)? Options: Pipeline coverage, Registered deals, MDF utilization, Revenue influenced, Other
• Who are the target audiences for scheduled reports (partner managers, channel leaders, finance)? Options: Partner managers, Channel leadership, Finance, Executives
• How often should standard reports be generated and distributed (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly
• Do you require drill-down capability from partner summary to individual CRM opportunity records in dashboards? Options: Yes, No
• Which visualization types do you prefer for partner performance (time series for pipeline, stacked bar for MDF consumption)? Options: Time series, Stacked bar, Tables, Heatmap, Other
• Would you like exportable report formats for finance reconciliation (CSV, XLSX, API feed)? Options: CSV, XLSX, API feed, Other

• desired_state
• current_state
• gaps
• stakeholders
• success_criteria
• decision_readiness
• desired_state
• decision_readiness
• current_state
• success_criteria
• gaps
• stakeholders
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• Subscription Agreement
• Order Form
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Pilot Acceptance Certificate
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Regulatory Compliance Addendum
• Change Order Agreement

• Go-live Health Check (weeks 1-4)
• First Measurement Review (weeks 4-10)
• Acceptance Gate Review (around day 90)
• Quarterly Success Review (ongoing)

• Schedule a targeted partner training session addressing the top usability issues identified in the backlog.
• Agreement on evidence package required at the acceptance gate to demonstrate target attainment or acceptable variance.
• Deliver the metric pack with raw data exports and calculation notes for each metric used in the review.
• Implement the highest-priority integration fix and report its effect on processing time within two weeks.
• Collect structured pilot partner usability reports and log enhancement requests into the tracked backlog.
• Restate acceptance criteria and numeric targets
• Formal record of pass/fail per acceptance criterion sourced from Partner Pilot Evaluation with remediation items assigned where needed.
• Signed acceptance decision captured or documented buyer decision recorded, and incumbent wind-down status confirmed.
• Clear timeline and owners for any outstanding remediation required for full rollout.
• Publish the acceptance decision document referencing Partner Pilot Evaluation targets and list of remaining remediation items with due dates.
• Execute the incumbent decommissioning checklist or confirm read-only retention and archive completion with evidence.
• Create the post-acceptance backlog with priority, estimated effort, and owners for all enhancement requests raised during the pilot.
• Adoption and activity trend review
• Confirm attribution accuracy rate and partner-sourced pipeline coverage movement and identify any corrective actions required.
• Reduce top recurring incidents with an agreed burn-down plan for the next quarter.
• Maintain a prioritized enhancement backlog with committed delivery windows for the next quarter.
• Deliver the quarterly metric report including attribution reconciliations and partner-sourced pipeline roll-ups.
• Assign owners and target dates to the top three backlog items that most affect adoption or attribution accuracy.
• Re-confirm committed success criteria and owners
• All deployment gaps that block baseline use are identified and have named owners and target resolution dates.
• Initial adoption signals are documented and any partner onboarding blockers are scheduled for remediation.
• Data migration and integration health status recorded for follow-up in the first measurement meeting.
• Produce a remediation tracker listing each open issue, severity, owner, and target resolution date.
• Run a data migration completeness check and publish discrepancies versus expected row counts.
• Send partner-facing guidance clarifying the new registration workflow and support contacts.
• Present first-period metrics against targets
• Clear view of metric performance for weekly active partners, average deal registration processing time (hours), and attribution accuracy rate versus the Partner Pilot Evaluation targets.
• Action plan with owners and deadlines to remediate the top 3 drivers of metric variance before the acceptance gate.
• Deployment and migration validation
• Attribution and pipeline accuracy audit
• Present outcome data against each criterion
• Root-cause analysis for gaps
• Corrective action plan and timeline
• Open issues and incident burn-down
• Early adoption signals and usage patterns
• Pass/fail determination per criterion
• Critical defects and open issues triage
• Pilot partner feedback and usability issues
• Enhancement request backlog prioritization
• Incumbent system wind-down confirmation
• Immediate remediation plan
• Operational improvements and training refresh
• Confirm readiness criteria for acceptance gate
• Document formal acceptance decision and named signatory
• Agree post-acceptance follow-up cadence
• Communication and partner support actions