Blog
Managing Vendors To Get Results
by Jennifer HillHow do companies with different delivery models, and different standards work together effectively to deliver a product for a customer?
Changes in economic conditions, the desire for efficiencies, and the need for specialized expertise are just a few reasons why companies are turning to vendors and partners to develop and enhance products for their customers. These external organizations demonstrate outstanding skills within their niche. How do you know that your company is working effectively with the vendor or partner? It is increasing difficult to make sure that all of the pieces fit together so that a product can be released to the market on time and with quality. To learn more about the Trillium Solution Group’s approach to Vendor and Partner Management, see the Management Case Study.
There are three key factors that will greatly increase the likelihood that your IT department is teaming effectively with the partner/vendor to deliver your product according to plan. The factors are: (1) Know your partner – Culture Management (2) Technical Planning – Tactical Management and (3) Executive Sponsorship. For this initial blog entry, we will examine the first.
Know your partner – Culture Management: As defined by Barrons, “Corporate culture is the total sum of the values, customs, traditions and meanings that make a company unique. Corporate culture is often called “the character of an organization”…. (Montana, P., and Charnov, B. (2008) Management (4th ed.), Barrons Educational Series, Hauppauge:NY)” For example, is your vendor or partner’s culture heavy into processes or more fluid? Is it more accepting of change or resistant to it? How long has your vendor or partner operated and what growth has the vendor or partner experienced in the last 2, 5, 10 years? All of these contribute to the overall corporate culture.
A common disconnect across vendors or partners is at the point at which the contracts are signed and the requests are handed to the delivery teams to build the product(s). As the teams begin to build their relationships and learn how to work together effectively, one of the best ways to minimize the risk of delivery disruptions and gaps is to adapt a consistent strategy with the vendors and partners:
(1) accept the risk of delivery alignment up front
(2) spend the time to understand the benefits and disadvantages of your partner’s culture
(3) consistently leverage the knowledge to build vendor/partner specific schedules, quality protocol, and delivery priorities and expectations
There will be growing pains in any relationship. Taking the time to understand the culture of the organization and how that culture impacts the delivery characteristics is critical to building a successful short and long term relationship.
About the Author
Jennifer Hill
Jenn is a Director with Trillium and is responsible for creating & maintaining systems to manage the firm's intellectual capital. With over twelve years of experience leading successful software implementations in the telecommunications industry, Jenn has deep expertise in program, project, relationship management and testing architecture. She specializes in fostering partner relationships, creating and leading high performing teams on critical initiatives, and developing the test methodology for large-scale systems integrations across the spectrum of technology environments.