Don’t Say It Failed If You Didn’t Review!: The Power of the "Review" Process in Alliance Management

In the world of technology alliances, partnerships can drive exponential growth, market reach, and innovation. But it’s not uncommon to see these alliances fall short of expectations or, worse, fail entirely—sometimes even before they've had a chance to thrive. Why is this? Often, it’s due to a lack of a structured Review process, the "R" in Cascadia Leadership Advisors' IPE&R framework.

In my recent Cascadia Leadership Advisors blog, I laid out the IPE&R process as a guiding methodology for ensuring alliance success. Let’s dive deeper into the "Review" step and understand why it’s critical to a well-managed, impactful alliance strategy.

Why the "Review" Step Matters

Reviewing isn’t just a “nice-to-have” when it comes to alliances. It’s essential. Far too often, alliances are implemented with all the best intentions, including well-thought-out strategy, strong planning, and execution efforts. Yet without a deliberate mechanism to assess and iterate, even the most promising partnerships can lose steam or veer off track. Here’s why the Review step matters:

1. Measuring Real-World Impact
   An alliance may look flawless on paper but fall short in practice. A structured Review process provides a reality check by evaluating the alliance’s performance against expected outcomes. Are we hitting the milestones we projected? Is revenue materializing at the pace anticipated? Are mutual customer wins stacking up? Reviewing provides a lens into whether the alliance is on track, underperforming, or perhaps overachieving in unexpected ways.

2. Course-Correction and Continuous Improvement
   Even the best-laid plans require flexibility and adaptation. If an alliance isn’t meeting expectations, the Review process enables organizations to recalibrate—whether it’s changing the scope, adjusting the go-to-market approach, or re-evaluating the product-market fit. This iterative approach can be the difference between a partnership that falters and one that, after necessary adjustments, becomes a resounding success.

3. Insights into “Why” and “What’s Next”
   When an alliance fails, the absence of a Review process leaves leaders guessing at the causes. Was it a mismatch in objectives? Was it an operational issue? A lack of alignment between teams? With regular Reviews, leadership gains insights into what’s working and what’s not. This data-driven feedback loop not only improves the alliance in question but also strengthens future partnerships by avoiding pitfalls and replicating effective strategies.

Don’t Say It Failed if You Didn’t Review

It’s not uncommon to hear leaders say, “That alliance failed.” But if there was no Review process in place, the right question to ask is, “How do you know? Did you run the playbook and then review it to programmatically assess success?” If the answer is “No,” then the reality is that the alliance wasn’t given a full chance to succeed in the first place. Without a Review, there’s no clear understanding of what went wrong—or whether the approach simply needed a strategic adjustment. In other words, if you didn’t Review, you didn’t truly try.

Building a Robust Review Process

To ensure a Review process that genuinely supports success, consider these elements:

• Set Clear Metrics and KPIs
  Every alliance should have measurable goals, from revenue targets to customer acquisitions, market reach, and product integration milestones. Clear KPIs set the foundation for an effective Review, offering concrete data against which to measure success or identify gaps.

• Establish a Regular Cadence
  Reviews should be built into the alliance’s operational rhythm. Quarterly reviews are common, allowing enough time to assess performance while maintaining agility to pivot when necessary. More frequent monthly check-ins can also be useful, especially in the alliance’s initial stages.

• Encourage Honest Dialogue
  The Review process should be an open forum for both organizations to discuss what’s working and where challenges are arising. This honest feedback is essential for addressing issues before they snowball and fosters a culture of transparency and mutual improvement. “That’s not what I wanted to hear, but it’s what I needed to hear” is a valuable motto.

• Document Outcomes and Lessons Learned
  Each Review should yield actionable insights, whether they’re course corrections or affirmations of the current strategy. Documenting these outcomes provides a historical record that can inform future alliances, ensuring that lessons learned are institutionalized rather than lost.

Avoiding the Pitfalls of a Missing Review Process

Without a structured Review, alliances can fail silently or stagnate, even if they had great potential. The absence of a Review process means that misalignments may go unnoticed, issues remain unresolved, and opportunities for improvement slip by. Most critically, without Review, leaders never truly know if an alliance could have succeeded if handled differently.

As Cascadia Leadership Advisors emphasizes, a successful alliance framework requires more than just intent and execution. It requires ongoing Review to unlock its true potential. When partners commit to a disciplined Review process, alliances don’t just survive—they thrive, yielding real, measurable value for both organizations.

In summary, the "R" in the IPE&R process is the keystone of successful alliances, keeping partnerships agile, responsive, and aligned with strategic goals. Make Review a priority, and you’ll be positioned not only to drive success today but also to build a foundation for even more impactful alliances tomorrow.