Agile Alliances: Bringing Speed of Execution to Strategic Alliances

A few weeks back I met with Ryan, a good friend from Lenovo and we started talking about the Agile Methodology, his deep experience with it and how it can be applied to non-traditional areas of business. As we went back and forth with stories about how we had seen Agile applied with success and failure across our careers, I recalled Bastille Day, 2015. Some of you historians will quickly note that Bastille Day, July 14th happened in 1789, when the commoners of Paris stormed the Bastille prison sparking the French revolution. But for IT nerds like myself in 2015, it was the day on which the ubiquitous Windows Server 2003 OS would reach "end of life" requiring massive hardware and software upgrades.

When Microsoft announced this, I was managing a small team of campaign leaders that were tasked with coming up with new sales and marketing campaigns, the content and field training for them as well as launching them globally and managing the lead generation from them. We had an 18 month schedule of campaigns in the pipeline to drive over $100M in leads and now we had the single biggest "call to action" for server upgrades any of us had ever seen. The race was on for teams around the world to capture market share in this watershed moment, but we had a schedule, commitments, limited resources AND were working with another huge alliance partner. How could we possibly pivot that fast - AGILE.

If you read through a few of my prior blogs, you'll see that traditional project and program management tools prevail in the partnerships world, but they are often too slow and cumbersome to manage big alliances with the speed required to capitalize on an opportunity like "Bastille Day". In this next series, I'll discuss why Agile works so well in the alliance world starting with a quick overview today and diving deeper in the coming weeks over the next three blogs.

Why Agile?

Traditional alliance management often relies on rigid plans and lengthy decision-making processes.?This can be sluggish and struggle to adapt to the dynamic nature of business today.?Agile's focus on flexibility,?collaboration,?and continuous improvement makes it a perfect fit for the complexities of managing a successful alliance.

Agile Principles for Strategic Alliances

• Individuals and Interactions Over Processes and Tools:??Alliance success hinges on the strength of the working relationships between teams.?Prioritize open communication,?trust-building exercises,?and fostering a collaborative spirit.
• Working Software Over Comprehensive Documentation:??Don't get bogged down in crafting overly detailed plans.??Focus on achieving shared goals through iterative projects with clear deliverables that demonstrate progress.
• Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation:??Treat your alliance as a joint venture focused on serving your target market.?Regularly gather feedback from both sides to ensure initiatives stay aligned with customer needs.
• Responding to Change Over Following a Plan:??The business landscape is constantly evolving.?Be prepared to adapt your alliance strategy as market conditions or priorities shift.?Embrace opportunities to learn and iterate based on real-world results.
• Regular Delivery of Value Over Big Bang Releases:??Break down large goals into smaller,?achievable milestones.?Celebrate successes along the way to maintain momentum and keep both teams engaged.

Putting it into Practice

Here are some ways to implement Agile practices in your alliance:

• Joint Agile Teams:?Establish cross-functional teams with representatives from both organizations.?This fosters better communication and a shared sense of ownership for projects.
• Sprint Planning & Reviews:??Hold regular planning sessions to define short-term goals and review progress iteratively.??Use these meetings to identify roadblocks and continuously improve collaboration.
• Agile Communication:??Promote open and transparent communication through regular scrum meetings,?shared online workspaces,?and clear communication channels.
• Metrics & Measurement:??Develop key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress towards your shared goals.?Regularly assess the alliance's effectiveness and make adjustments as needed.

Building an Agile Alliance Culture

Remember,?Agile is not just a set of practices,?but a mindset.??Here are some tips to cultivate an Agile culture within your alliance:

• Focus on Shared Values:?Establish a clear vision and set of values that both organizations can embrace.?This creates a foundation for trust and collaboration.
• Embrace Transparency & Openness:?Encourage open communication and information sharing to break down silos and foster a sense of partnership.
• Empowerment & Ownership:?Empower team members on both sides to make decisions and take ownership of their roles.
• Celebrate Successes:?Recognize and celebrate achievements,?big and small,?to maintain team morale and motivation.

By embracing Agile principles,?we created a more dynamic and adaptable strategic alliance and my team was poised to storm the industry much like those french revolutionaries stormed the Bastille prison. Over the next weeks, I'll delve into greater detail of those three areas of change and how it played out for our partnership in the Battle for server market share.