As part of my services, I offer Alliance Health Checks, which many of my clients find invaluable. In fact, during a recent Alliance Conference hosted by the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) in London, one of the speakers mentioned how they’d engaged me several times to assess the well-being of their alliances through my health checks. This unanticipated shout-out sparked quite a few conversations during the event’s breaks, with two recurring questions, “How do you conduct your Alliance Health Checks?” and “How often should they be performed?“
While there’s already plenty of detail about my Alliance Health Checks on my website, I’d like to offer a concise response to these two questions.
1: How Do I Perform Alliance Health Checks?
An Alliance Health Check is only meaningful if it evaluates the critical elements that determine an alliance’s success, those being strategic value, operational effectiveness and cultural/relationship dynamics. It’s essential that after each health check, an action plan is crafted to address areas requiring improvement. Without an actionable follow-up, the health check loses its value.
These assessments can take multiple forms, including verbal and written methods. At its simplest, an assessment could involve interviews with key participants about their perceptions of the alliance’s performance. However, the most effective method is a structured survey targeting the alliance’s strategic, operational and relational elements. The survey blends quantitative Likert scale ratings (1-5) with qualitative, open-ended questions, allowing for both detailed insights and numerical benchmarking.
Engaging a balanced set of participants from all alliance partners ensures a well-rounded perspective. After analysing the results, the next step is for the alliance managers to formulate a clear plan to address any identified gaps or opportunities.
2: How Often Should Alliance Health Checks Be Conducted?
Regular health checks allow you to track progress and sustain your alliance’s health. The frequency depends largely on the nature of the alliance. For long-term, stable partnerships, an annual or 18-month interval may suffice. However, for more dynamic or evolving alliances, more frequent assessments might be required. Ideally, the checks should occur before any issues arise, ensuring proactive management rather than reactive firefighting.
What’s been your experience with conducting an Alliance Health Check? I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to comment to this article or schedule a call if you’d prefer a more in-depth discussion.