How do you measure business partner readiness?

1 Define readiness criteria

Before you can measure business partner readiness, you need to define what readiness means for your specific context and objectives. Readiness criteria are the factors that indicate how prepared, willing, and able to your business partners are to work with you on a BRM initiative. To assess readiness, consider questions such as: do your business partners understand the role and value of BRM? Are they supportive and willing to share resources, risks, and rewards? Are they experienced in BRM-related practices? And are their values, beliefs, and behaviors aligned with those of BRM? Answering these questions will help you determine how ready your business partners are to collaborate on a BRM initiative.

2 Use a readiness assessment tool

Once you have defined your readiness criteria, you need a way to measure them objectively and consistently. A readiness assessment tool is a structured method to collect and analyze data on your business partners' readiness levels. There are different types of readiness assessment tools, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, or self-assessments. The choice of tool depends on your available time, resources, and access to your business partners. The key is to use a tool that is reliable, valid, and easy to administer and interpret.

3 Evaluate the readiness results

After you have collected and analyzed the data from your readiness assessment tool, you need to evaluate the results and draw conclusions. The evaluation process involves comparing the actual readiness levels of your business partners with the desired or expected readiness levels for your BRM initiative. You can use a readiness matrix to visualize the gaps and opportunities for improvement. A readiness matrix is a table that shows the readiness criteria on one axis and the business partners on the other axis, and assigns a score or rating to each cell. The scores or ratings can be numerical, qualitative, or color-coded, depending on your preference.

4 Develop a readiness action plan

The final step in measuring business partner readiness is to develop a readiness action plan based on the evaluation results. This plan should be aligned with your BRM strategy and objectives, and should address the root causes of the readiness gaps. To increase the readiness levels of your business partners, some examples of readiness actions are conducting BRM awareness and education sessions, establishing BRM governance structures and processes, providing BRM coaching and mentoring, and creating success stories and recognition programs. By assessing the current state of your business partners, identifying areas for improvement, and planning these actions, you can ensure the success of your BRM initiative.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?