---
name: strategic-alliance-plan
description: "Designs strategic alliance frameworks with partner evaluation, mutual benefit mapping, and governance structure."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Strategic Alliance Plan

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Design a formal strategic alliance between two or more businesses
- Create partner evaluation frameworks to assess alliance potential
- Map mutual benefits and define governance structures for long-term partnerships
- Build alliance management plans with KPIs and review processes

**DO NOT** use this skill for simple referral agreements, one-off joint ventures, or vendor relationships. This is for ongoing strategic partnerships with shared goals and coordinated operations.

---

## Core Principle

A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE IS NOT A HANDSHAKE DEAL — IT IS A FORMAL PARTNERSHIP WITH DEFINED GOVERNANCE, SHARED METRICS, AND REGULAR REVIEW CYCLES THAT ENSURE BOTH PARTIES CONTINUE TO BENEFIT AS MARKETS CHANGE.

---

## Phase 1: Brief

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Alliance purpose** | "What strategic goal does this alliance serve?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Potential partner(s)** | "Who are you considering partnering with?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Your strategic assets** | "What do you bring? (market access, technology, expertise, brand)" | No default — must be provided |
| **Duration** | "How long should this alliance last?" | 12 months with annual renewal |
| **Scope** | "What activities will the alliance cover?" | No default — must be provided |

**GATE: Confirm the brief before proceeding.**

---

## Phase 2: Evaluate and Map

### Partner Evaluation Matrix

```
| Evaluation Criteria | Weight | Score (1-10) | Weighted Score |
|-------------------|--------|-------------|---------------|
| Strategic fit | 20% | | |
| Complementary capabilities | 20% | | |
| Market position and reputation | 15% | | |
| Financial stability | 15% | | |
| Cultural alignment | 15% | | |
| Commitment level | 15% | | |
| **Total** | 100% | | /10 |
```

Minimum score to proceed: 7.0/10

### Mutual Benefit Map

```
## What You Get
- [Specific benefit 1 with estimated value]
- [Specific benefit 2]
- [Specific benefit 3]

## What They Get
- [Specific benefit 1 with estimated value]
- [Specific benefit 2]
- [Specific benefit 3]

## What the Market Gets
- [Customer benefit 1]
- [Customer benefit 2]
```

### Risk Assessment

```
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|-----------|
| Partner underperforms | [L/M/H] | [L/M/H] | [Strategy] |
| Market conditions change | [L/M/H] | [L/M/H] | [Strategy] |
| Cultural friction | [L/M/H] | [L/M/H] | [Strategy] |
| IP disputes | [L/M/H] | [L/M/H] | [Strategy] |
```

**GATE: Present the evaluation and benefit map for approval.**

---

## Phase 3: Build

### Governance Structure

```
## Alliance Governance

**Executive sponsors:** [One from each organization]
**Alliance managers:** [Day-to-day point person from each side]
**Review cadence:** Quarterly strategic review, monthly operational check-in
**Decision authority:**
- Operational decisions: Alliance managers
- Strategic changes: Executive sponsors
- Budget changes over $[X]: Joint approval required
**Escalation path:** Alliance manager → Executive sponsor → CEO/Founder
```

### Alliance Agreement Framework

```
## Agreement Sections
1. Purpose and scope of the alliance
2. Each party's contributions and responsibilities
3. Governance structure and decision-making
4. Financial arrangements (cost sharing, revenue sharing)
5. Intellectual property ownership and usage rights
6. Confidentiality and data sharing terms
7. Performance metrics and review process
8. Modification and amendment process
9. Term, renewal conditions, and exit terms
10. Dispute resolution process
```

### Performance Metrics

```
## Alliance KPIs
| Metric | Target | Measurement | Review Frequency |
|--------|--------|-------------|-----------------|
| [Revenue generated] | [$X/quarter] | [How tracked] | Monthly |
| [Leads exchanged] | [X/month] | [How tracked] | Monthly |
| [Customer satisfaction] | [X/5] | [Survey] | Quarterly |
| [Alliance health score] | [8+/10] | [Joint assessment] | Quarterly |
```

---

## Phase 4: Polish

### 1. Launch Plan

```
## Alliance Launch Checklist
- [ ] Agreement reviewed and signed by both parties
- [ ] Alliance managers identified and introduced
- [ ] Shared communication channel established
- [ ] First 90-day objectives defined
- [ ] Quarterly review dates scheduled for the year
- [ ] Internal teams briefed on the partnership
- [ ] External announcement plan agreed upon
```

### 2. Communication Plan

- Internal: How each company communicates the alliance to their team
- External: Joint press release, social media announcement, customer notification
- Ongoing: Shared Slack channel, monthly sync call, quarterly report

### 3. Annual Review Framework

```
## Annual Alliance Review Agenda
1. Performance against KPIs
2. Strategic alignment check — are goals still shared?
3. Market changes affecting the alliance
4. Renewal, modification, or wind-down decision
5. Next-year objectives and resource commitments
```

---

## Example 1: Technology + Services Alliance

```
Purpose: Software company partners with consulting firm to offer implementation services
You bring: Software platform with 500 customers
They bring: Consulting team and enterprise relationships
Shared metric: 50 joint implementations in year 1
Revenue: You get software license revenue, they get consulting fees, shared referral bonuses
```

## Example 2: Content + Distribution Alliance

```
Purpose: Course creator partners with media company for distribution
You bring: Premium course library (20 courses)
They bring: Audience of 100,000 email subscribers + podcast
Shared metric: 1,000 course enrollments in 6 months
Revenue: 70/30 split (creator/distributor) on referred sales
```

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **No governance structure** — alliances without regular check-ins drift apart. Schedule reviews before you sign.
- **Vague benefit statements** — "this will help both of us grow" means nothing. Quantify what each party gains.
- **Ignoring cultural fit** — two organizations with incompatible values will not collaborate effectively, regardless of strategic fit.
- **No exit terms** — define how the alliance ends before it begins. Clean exits preserve relationships.
- **One-sided value** — if one party consistently gets more, the other will disengage. Balance must be real, not theoretical.
- **Over-engineering governance** — two solopreneurs do not need a board of directors. Match governance to alliance size.

---

## Recovery

- **Partner evaluation score is borderline (5-7):** Propose a 90-day pilot with limited scope before committing to a full alliance.
- **Cannot quantify mutual benefits:** Run a small test — co-promote one asset and measure the results. Use real data to project alliance value.
- **Cultural friction emerges early:** Address it immediately in a direct conversation. If values are fundamentally misaligned, exit gracefully.
- **Alliance underperforms after 6 months:** Conduct a root cause analysis. Either adjust the structure, narrow the scope, or agree to wind down.
