Cross Group Collaboration

World-class project management streamlines partner program update

The Challenge

How can I best manage changes to our partner program that affect multiple business groups?

A major application ISV had a problem. The client’s position in the market was threatened and the economy had soured. Their partner program needed to be updated to reflect current market conditions and a fundamental change in their business growth drivers. Complicating the situation was a need to integrate across multiple business divisions in a manner that satisfied multiple stakeholders. It was a complex problem with many moving parts.

The client knew the value of project management to solve complex problems, but had never had success making project management stick with its business leadership. They needed an approach to project management that was robust and disciplined in order to:

  • Create a more effective partner program to meet customer needs and expectations
  • Drive the global rollout of the new program to solution providers
  • Manage effective communications across internal business groups, partners, and customers

The Approach

Create communications and project management frameworks to align business groups and executives on program changes

  • Identified, qualified, and stratified all internal and external stakeholders
  • Constructed a communications framework that provided project transparency
  • Drove support across stakeholders­ through internal and external communications
  • Coordinated the planning and rollout activities of 15 work streams
  • Managed interactions with the sales organization, corporate executives, solution providers, and industry analysts
  • Built a PMO framework and managed execution of all work plans, deliverables, issues, and decisions

The Result

Program change implemented on time and on budget

  • Implemented new program on schedule and within budget
  • Improved partner program efficiency going forward
  • Increased satisfaction from the several thousand solution providers who benefited from the new program
  • Increased customer satisfaction as a result of the enhanced capabilities of the solution providers
  • Grew partner and client revenue

“Simply stated, this project would not have reached all the critical milestones without Touch.”