How do you assess the learning needs of your strategic partners?

Before working to collect data, be sure to confirm the partnership goals, shared use cases, and plan for working together. Training should be targeted, useful, comprehensive, and appropriate for the audience. Collecting data or setting KPI's around unwanted or unneeded training will distract from the strategic goals of the partnership and impede collaboration and scaling.

Enhance data collection for assessing partner learning needs by integrating analytics tools that track engagement and results from previous training programs. This approach offers real-time insights into the effectiveness of learning methods and content. Utilize this data to refine educational strategies, ensuring they are continuously aligned with evolving partner capabilities and business goals.

I would also suggest to encourage the team managing the Partnership on a day to day basis to define the skills they believe they require to better deliver results. This can also be based on their assessment of how the partnership is evolving, and this can be a reference point.

Questionnaires and Conversation. If used your SOPs as a baseline, the questionnaire will assess understanding and gaps, and the conversation will help develop the plan for closing them.

Enhance your data collection for assessing partner learning needs by employing a multi-source feedback system. Combine direct inputs from surveys and interviews with observational data during workshops or daily operations to gauge real-time skills application and learning barriers. Utilize project debriefs and performance reviews to gather contextual insights about areas needing improvement. This layered approach ensures a comprehensive understanding of both expressed and observed learning needs, allowing for more targeted and effective training program development that aligns directly with your partners' operational realities and strategic objectives.

Beyond Ownership: Focusing solely on who "invented" it risks overlooking the dish's organic evolution. Maybe both Moti Mahal and Daryaganj played crucial roles in refining and popularizing different aspects of the Butter Chicken we know today. Perhaps the true ownership lies not in singular claims but in the collective culinary journey. Shared Legacy: Instead of a winner-takes-all approach, could this be an opportunity to celebrate the collaborative spirit that gave birth to Butter Chicken? By acknowledging the contributions of both restaurants and the historical context, we can move beyond legal battles and embrace the shared legacy of this beloved dish.

Refine your analysis of partner learning data by using advanced analytics to identify trends and correlations. This will reveal not only the immediate gaps but also deeper insights into how learning impacts operational effectiveness. Prioritize actionable findings that align learning strategies with key business objectives, ensuring your training investments directly contribute to mutual growth and success.

Some more routes can be considered as follows: Competency Mapping – which is required for optimal performance and then assessing current competencies against this standard. Benchmarking Analysis - Comparing your partner's performance metrics to industry standards or best-in-class to define the gaps. Trend Analysis - By examining patterns over time, you can identify typical causes for gaps and devise learning systems to address the same.

Data analysis and prioritization of gaps to-be-closed are critical. A prioritized "gaps grid" along with a RASCII that involves representatives from both sides is an efficient framework to use in moving forward.

To enhance strategic partnership management, apply both qualitative and quantitative methods when analyzing collected data. Use SWOT analysis to align partnership operations with strategic objectives, and implement gap analysis to pinpoint discrepancies between current practices and optimal performance. Conduct root cause analysis to uncover deeper issues affecting the partnership, ensuring that solutions address the true source of problems. Employ a prioritization matrix to systematically evaluate the urgency and impact of each action item, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently and effectively. This multi-faceted approach enables a robust understanding and targeted management of partnership dynamics.

Designing a partner learning plan is similar to developing a marketing plan. You will need to segment, target, and position the training to maximize the plan's impact on and for your partner. Start by segmenting your partner's learning needs. Is this a technical audience? A sales audience? Executive audience? Next, target the training. Does your partner need an industry, functional, or technology focused learning plan? Finally, think about positioning. Some organizations have learning requirements and you can align your learning plan with to create a seamless experience for your target audience. Other organizations are very utilization target driven, so you may need to build your partner learning plan along side the go to market plan.

I practice creating a central repository of challenges, solutions and experiences across all teams. Nothing teaches and works like real life experience, shared by people who have been there and done that. This also helps other partnership team members to avoid such situations.

Craft a learning plan that educates *and* engages. Incorporate varied delivery methods tailored to different learning styles—interactive sessions, hands-on workshops, and real-world applications. This ensures that training is not just informative but also immersive, significantly enhancing retention and application of new skills in practical settings.

Hold on! Is a one-size-fits-all learning plan truly empowering? This structured approach risks: Stifling Creativity: Rigid objectives and prescribed methods might clip the wings of innovation and organic learning. Ignoring Context: Partners from diverse backgrounds and experiences need individualized attention, not a cookie-cutter curriculum. Metrics Mania: Obsessing over data overlooks the intangible benefits of learning, like improved relationships and intrinsic motivation.

The learning plan should be mapped directly to the Objectives and Key Results of the partnership. You'll want to make sure you understand what will be successful on a large scale, so any plan should be cost-efficient, time-efficient and validated with a beta group. I once rolled out a training plan with reps and partners at Dell Technologies and was surprised how effective a slimmed down version of the original plan was after following this methodology. You also want to define leading and lagging indicators as success measures. You don't want to roll out a full plan that has big flaws.

Have a system of integrating real life learning and practical discussions in the field or market, where partnerships team members spend time in joint visiting, discussing, ideating and applying their knowledge on a weekly or monthly basis. This will also help to create real time plough-back and loop for feedback.

Use your partnership sponsors to get buy-in acress the organizations. Define leading and lagging indicators for success and then execute, measure and refine. As you experience wins, celebrate them! That momentum will create an energy of commitment to the shared outcomes on both side.s

When implementing a learning plan for strategic partners, leverage digital tools to streamline delivery and enhance engagement. Utilize learning management systems (LMS) to provide a centralized platform where partners can access materials, participate in discussions, and monitor their progress. Ensure the LMS is mobile-friendly to support learning on the go. Regularly collect data through quizzes, surveys, and system analytics to gauge engagement and comprehension. This real-time feedback allows for immediate adjustments, enhancing learning outcomes. Periodically review the entire program with key stakeholders to align learning initiatives with evolving business goals and partner needs, ensuring the program remains relevant and effective.

It's important to highlight wins and incentivize partners to keep learning and investing in the relationship. One way to do this is to add a certification program with benefits such as co-marketing, badges, joint case studies and more, that get unlocked as partners learn more. Help the partners achieve their internal goals by periodically getting their feedback on what content and materials would be helpful, and incorporate that feedback in future learning content.

Learning in strategic partnership is a very important component but can only be achieved when your partners fully sees the benefits of the partnership to their long-term ambitions. Nurturing partnerships to the level that ensures full collective owners of Strategic direction and goals is key to achieve this.

Celebrate milestones and achievements to keep partners engaged and excited to invest in the relationship. Spark their ambition with a tiered certification program unlocking exclusive benefits like co-marketing opportunities, badges, and jointly crafted case studies. Let them know their voice matters. Regularly gather feedback on desired content and materials, weaving their input into future learning experiences to fuel their internal goals.

Partners are very important to run a business successfully. It is essential that we give them proper commission/ share in revenue so that all grow together

Consider leveraging AI and data analytics to assess partner learning needs. AI can analyze vast amounts of data from partner interactions, performance metrics, and engagement levels to identify areas where learning is most needed. By integrating AI with your learning platforms, you can dynamically adjust content to address partner weaknesses, predict future learning needs, and personalize the learning experience. This proactive approach not only streamlines the assessment process but also ensures your learning programs are continuously aligned with both current and future requirements of your strategic partners, enhancing their effectiveness and efficiency.