Checklist for Setting up & Maintaining your Partnership

Checklist for Setting up & Maintaining your PartnershipThe following checklist will help guide the content for your Service Agreement or Terms of Reference. Together, Everyone, Achieves, More.

Is there a genuine shared vision and set of goals across the partnership, (the purpose)?

A common understanding of and agreement to the vision and objectives needs to be reflected in any SERVICE AGREEMENT / TERMS OF REFERENCE.

Document the vision and agreed goals:

Are there clearly identified aims that all partners can articulate and agree to?

Document accepted aims:

Are all members clear on what their role and responsibilities are? Are members clear on the added value of the partnership?

Members need to understand their roles in collective decision-making, delivering activities, and representing the partnership.

Document roles and responsibilities of members:

What skills and competencies do we need to manage and support the partnership?

Consider if there will be a need for training opportunities or resources to strengthen partner capacity to meet project deliverables.

Document skills and competencies:

Is there an accepted process for decision-making?

Document processes for decision-making:

Is there a process to report on progress? To whom will the partnership report?

Document the lines of accountability/reporting processes:

Does the project have a performance management framework: performance accountability, defined criteria enabling partners to benchmark achievements?

Individuals responsible for delivery of the plan to the partnership need to be specified.

Document the performance management framework:

Document the criteria to benchmark achievements:

Is there acceptance regarding commitment on joint resource development to support the partnership from all partners?

Resources mean more than just money; they include time, knowledge, energy, and personnel.

Document the accepted commitment to joint investment/resources:

Is there a robust communication strategy in place?

It is important partners know about each others organisation, what pressures and priority agendas exist?

Document the communication strategy:

Is there a clear, measurable plan for administering the partnership?

Project plans should also identify the process to review and or update aims and outcomes if /when evaluation and reporting reflects a need for change.

Document the administration plan:

Are there clear processes in place to ensure all new members of the partnership are well informed of its purpose, aims, and objectives?

Document the orientation processes utilised for new members:

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