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Copyright Midas projects Limited 2010 Introducing: BS 11000 Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century by building more effective Collaborative Business Relationships

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Page 1: Introducing: BS 11000€¦ · The networked economy is re-writing traditional ... resources to meet mutually defined objectives and to provide new levels of value creation. Collaborative

Copyright Midas projects Limited 2010

Introducing: BS 11000

Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century

by building more effective

Collaborative Business Relationships

Page 2: Introducing: BS 11000€¦ · The networked economy is re-writing traditional ... resources to meet mutually defined objectives and to provide new levels of value creation. Collaborative

Copyright Midas projects Limited 2010

BS 11000 framework overview

Copyright for this model is owned by BSI and may only be reproduced with their prior agreement

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Preface

The world is changing and at a faster rate than perhaps ever could have been envisaged. Globalisation is no longer an aspiration but a fact of life. Emerging nations are changing the face of economics. Communications technology has condensed the market place but it has still to conquer the cultural divide.

The networked economy is re-writing traditional business thinking of ownership and creating alternate business models based on interdependent and complementary alliances. The traditional hierarchical trading models are giving way to the concept of a more holistic value chain. In this turmoil one factor remains constant, good business relationships are a core ingredient for success.

The current economic pressures are coupled with a

greater need for innovation in the supply chain

together with the emergence of alternative business

models. With these economic challenges ahead

there is a need to harness greater collaboration

across both the public and private sectors. There

much talk of collaboration but for many the concept

appears to conflict with traditional management

thinking, whereas in fact collaboration should be

seen as an alternative approach used when

appropriately.

Thus the time is right for the publication of the British Standard (BS) 11000. It represents a landmark for business, as the first National Standard in the world to address collaborative business relationships. It does not represent a one-size solution, but rather provides a consistent framework, which can be scaled and adapted to meet particular business needs.

The subject of relationship management and

collaborative working has been with us for many

years under various guises such as partnering,

alliances, consortiums and others. Yet today it is

perhaps more pertinent than ever before, to look at

how these approaches can be more effectively

integrated to create value and build sustainable

relationships.

The publication of BS 11000 as the world’s first

national standard for collaborative business

relationship management provides the opportunity to

consider the key influences and how to consistently

manage the processes and impacts of collaboration

to meet the challenges of the next decade and

beyond.

Contents

Introduction

The benefits of work with BS 11000

Awareness:

Integrating collaboration with the business

Knowledge:

Developing a collaborative strategies

Internal assessment:

Understanding your collaborative capability

Partner selection:

Evaluating collaborative potential

Working together:

Setting the governance and management

Value creation:

Joint continual improvement

Staying together :

Managing relationships over time

Exit strategy :

Effective disengagement

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Copyright Midas projects Limited 2010

Introduction to BS 11000

BS 11000 was developed through pan-industry consultation to provide a structured approach to

building more sustainable relationships throughout the value chain. The aim of the standard aim

is to provide a framework to ensure collaborative relationships are effective and optimized.

Collaborative approaches have been shown to deliver a wide range of benefits, which enhance

competitiveness and performance (for example, better cost management, improved time,

resource utilisation, risk management and delivering incremental business value and innovation).

Working with BS11000 will help enable partners to effectively share knowledge, skills and

resources to meet mutually defined objectives and to provide new levels of value creation.

Collaborative relationships in the context of BS 11000 can be multidimensional, which can be

individual one-to-one relationships but more frequently might involve multiple parties, including

external alliance partners, suppliers, various internal divisions and often customers, working

together.

BS 11000 maps the key areas which all organisations should address. It is recognised that, the

degree of application will by necessity vary within the overall framework. Every relationship is

different whether vertical or horizontal; however the key issues will be common to most. It was

these key factors that BS 11000 captures and thus provides a common and consistent

foundation for collaboration.

The standard follows the three-phase approach covering eight stages. The first phase has three

stages, Awareness, Knowledge and Internal Assessment, and provides the foundation to

link collaborative approaches with the overall business operation, whilst also focusing on the

organizations capability to collaborate.

With the strategic elements of collaboration addressed, the organization will be ready for the

second phase to engage with others. Partner Selection addresses evaluation of potential new

partners or existing relationships, while the Working Together sets out how the collaboration

will function in practice, including value creation and innovation.

The third phase is about management of the relationship is covered Staying Together (through

delivering the agreed and expected services/benefits) and Exit Strategy, which focuses

effective disengagement of an individual relationship.

Collaborative relationship management is a complex. BS 11000 highlights the key elements for

success, provides a common life –cycle route map for ease of integration and a measurable

platform to monitor progress. The publication of BS 11000 this year will provide a foundation for

developing sustainable relationships and this summary will hopefully provide business leaders

to harness collaboration through the adoption of the standards principles.

David Hawkins, Operations director at PSL

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Copyright Midas projects Limited 2010

Benefits of working with BS11000

Collaborative business relationships have been shown to deliver a wide range of

benefits, which enhance competitiveness and performance whilst adding value to organisations

of all sizes. The publication of the BS 11000 is a landmark for business. It is the first National

Standard in the world to address collaborative business relationships. It does not represent a

one-size solution, but rather provides a consistent framework, which can be scaled and adapted

to meet particular business needs.

Collaboration between organisations may take many forms from loose tactical

approaches through to longer term alliances or joint ventures. The structure of the framework is

drawn from the CRAFT framework and methodologies supported by a wide range of tools and

guides, which have been established over some 20 years of involvement in relationship

management.

BS 11000 does not enforce a single rigid approach but has been focused on providing a

framework that can complement existing approaches where these are already in place. It also

recognises that every relationship has its own unique considerations. For those organisations

with well established processes the framework provides a common language that can aid

implementation and engagement. For those starting out on the journey the framework creates a

road map for development.

The adoption of any standard has to be balanced against the value that it can deliver to

the organisations that chose to utilise it, whether this is for improving internal performance or to

enhance confidence in the market. In this respect BS 11000 is no different to other

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internationally recognised standards such as ISO 9000. The BSI certification programme,

launched in April 2009, establishes a measurable independent assessment for internal

benchmarking of continuous improvement and people development together with independent

validated pan industry recognition of an organisations collaborative capability in the market

place. At a more detailed level some of the benefits already recognised by multinational

organisations include;

The standard creates a robust framework for both the public and private sector to

provide a neutral platform for establishing effective collaborative programmes for mutual benefit.

Its core value is commonality of language and application between delivery partners leading to

improved / better integration. Acting as a bridge between cultures to form a more robust

partnership or alliance it reduces confusion, provides confidence to participants and lays a

foundation for innovation.

As it was developed through Pan-industry input and thus is not sector specific providing

a basis for broader adoption and engagement, providing a common foundation and language for

relationships between the private and public sector, international cultures to provide uniformity

of understanding. It provides a platform for developing repeatable models to enhance

communication and engagement and thus build confidence.

The standard provides a basis for benchmarking the collaborative capability of

organisations both internally and externally through BSI independent assessment which will

enhance partner evaluation and selection together with establishing market differentiation. It

establishes a consistent yet flexible approach that provides a foundation for efficiency and

repeatability across programmes and increased opportunity to focus on developing value. It will

aid the development of capability at the working level.

It creates a measure to promote customer confidence and a focus for more effective joint

risk management both related to the challenges of specific programmes and those linked to

relationship aspects of collaborative working. It reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings, a

mismatch of objectives, constrains hidden agendas and reduces the probability of conflict.

It establishes a consistent and structured approach to facilitate a focus on integration of

collaborative working within operational procedures, processes and systems. Thus creating a

platform for more effective governance, speed the development. Establishes a baseline to

support resource development and training to increase collaborative capability to enhance skills

and interchange ability of personnel

In short a standard framework that will promote better engagement and effectiveness

through strengthened business processes, whilst improving risk management, enhancing

dispute resolution and providing a basis for skills development. Most importantly of all improve

the potential for sustainable relationships that deliver value.

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Awareness Integrating collaboration with the business

Relationships of any kind have a

life cycle and to maximise the

benefits of a collaborative

approach it is important to

consider the longer term

implications of our actions on

value creating relationships.

Collaborative approaches will cut

across every function in an

organisation. The initial key is to

ensure that an organisation has

a clear mandate and strategy to

undertaken a collaborative

engagement. This has to be

clearly aligned with the visions,

values and objectives of the

business. Collaborative working

in any form is not an easy option;

it requires investment, resource

and frequently changes within an

organisation as such it needs

backing.

1. Executive sponsorship &

policy

For many organisations the

traditional business approach

tends to focus on exploiting

adversarial relationships.

Changing the rules of

engagement needs strong

support from the top.

2. Business objectives

It is crucial that the adoption of

a collaborative approach is

clearly aligned with the

business goals and objectives.

In this way those across the

organisation can appreciate the

potential for a value chain

approach.

3. Benefits & Business case

Promoting collaboration may be

at odds with current thinking. As

such its benefits often need to be

sold across the organisation.

These benefits must be

articulated and understood

including the long term

advantages, which should be

focused on a robust analysis of a

cost effective solution.

4. Segregate relationships

Historically terms such as

partnering or collaboration have

been used too liberally and

frequently when not necessary or

appropriate. This has led to

confusion, misalignment of

goals, failure based on

expectations and lack of robust

management. A clear

differentiation of relationship

types enables organisations to

focus resources more effectively.

Generally this will be driven by

analysing;

Complexity

Interdependence

Risk

Total cost of ownership

5. Evaluate Key individuals

Working in a collaborative way

may not suit everyone and whilst

they may be excellent in one

domain the concept and skills for

operating in a mutually beneficial

environment may challenge

some competencies and

behaviours picking the right

people is crucial.

6. Initial risk assessment

Every business venture carries

some risk and managing these is

a key aspect. Collaborative

approaches can introduce

alternative ways of managing

risk, including a joint approach

with partner(s), but can also

introduce new risk elements.

These need to be identified and

carried forward through the

development of a collaborative

model.

7. Relationship Management

Plan

Creating an RMP will help to

capture the concepts and

provide a platform for

development, with the partner(s).

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Knowledge Developing a collaborative strategies

Having identified the potential

for collaboration the next stage

is to develop specific strategies

and risk management that will

deliver the required outcomes.

What do you want to achieve

and do you have the skills, to

support the complexities of

these integrated approaches?

How to manage knowledge and

information flows? What will

your customers and markets

make of a collaborative

approach? Who could you

partner with? What would be

the impact of withdrawing from

collaboration? The exit strategy

is often seen as negative but in

fact understanding the rules for

disengagement focuses the

attention on the key issues to

make a relationship work. Most

importantly what do the specific

risks look like?

1. Identify objectives & drivers

Whilst there may be many

common factors each

relationship will likely have

varying drivers which will shape

the relationship. It is crucial to

understand these and ensure

they are transparent to the

organisation. As the relationship

progresses these must remain at

the fore as they will influence

every aspect of the development.

These can vary from:

2. Skills & competencies

It is important to consider the

available resources to support a

collaborative programme. As we

have said it may not suit all.

3. Knowledge management

One of the significant benefits of

collaboration is the ability to

share knowledge with partners.

This also creates a challenge for

many organisations to identify

what can and can’t be shared.

Having a clear focus on this up

front will avoid clashes later.

4. Strategy development

From this point you now start to

develop the strategy that will

drive the process forward.

5. Market analysis

Understanding the dynamics of

the market is important both the

aspect as to how customers and

suppliers may view collaboration.

6. Collaborative partners

Having the concept is one thing

but then you have to consider if

and who might be collaborative

partners. The starting point is

often the existing relationships

but recognise both their

traditional stance and their

potential to change the rules of

engagement.

7. Initial Exit strategy

Part of the strategy should

include the implications of exiting

the relationship at some point.

This is not simply having a

method for termination but

should incorporate transition and

acquiring key assets or

knowledge. This may highlight

key aspects that must be part of

the overall plan for

implementation.

8. Risk management

As the strategy is refined there

should be a more detailed

analysis of the specific risk

profile.

9. Business continuity & CSR

Finally two aspects which can

frequently be overlooked are that

with greater integration

organisations have to evaluate

the impacts of a breakdown of

the relationship and maintaining

business. Secondly as partners

may now be synonymous with

your organisation what impact

may that have on sustainability

policies and values?

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Internal Assessment Understanding your collaborative capability

Most organisations are very

good at defining what they want

from others but perhaps less

willing to assess their own

capability to meet the demands

of collaboration. A collaborative

relationship is a two way street

and to achieve the desired goals

it requires commitment on all

sides.

This is not just about processes,

procedures, systems and

contracts (the HARD process

issues). It is also a question of

the people drivers (the so called

SOFT issues) such as

leadership, skills and motivation,

which will govern the behaviours

and approaches at the working

level. Understanding the internal

enablers that build trust between

the parties based on mutual

benefit and equitable reward is

important.

1. Policies & processes

Organisation that want to build

robust collaborative programmes

need to ensure there are the

appropriate rules of engagement

clearly embedded in their

operation approaches. This

ensures that over time

behaviours remain aligned to the

agreed objectives and goals.

2. Internal Constraints

It is useful to take a step back

and consider what in terms of

current operating practice may

constrain effective collaboration

and get these issues addressed.

These can vary widely but may

come from programme

ownership, cross functional

barriers, incentive and

performance measure policies,

together with systems and

procedures.

3. Collaborative profile

Undertaking a review of the

organisation’s collaborative

profile,- and there are a variety of

models one can use- will provide

a platform on which to consider if

your organisation would make a

suitable collaborative partner

when viewed externally. For

collaboration to work effectively

potential partners must see you

as an intelligent partner they can

work openly with.

4. Collaborative leadership

They key to successful

collaboration comes from having

the right leadership. This is

difficult role since on occasions

they may be required to fight the

partner’s corner internally. In

addition they need to be able to

engender and maintain the ethos

of collaboration by both

supporting and mentoring those

involved.

5. Partner profile

As part of the internal

assessment it is also useful to

establish in each case what your

partner should look like. This

enables the organisation to set

its agenda and provides a basis

for evaluation later in the

process.

6. Knowledge & Skills

It is unlikely that every

organisation will have an

abundance of skilled

professionals ready to take on a

collaborative role. Recognizing

the gaps and building in process

capability development is

important

7. Implement & review

With the building blocks in place

organisations can move forward

with a degree of confidence to

address the market.

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Partner selection Evaluating collaborative potential

Collaborative relationships can

be utilised in many different

circumstances and finding the

right partner should not be left to

chance. Too often the selection

process is by default or based on

long term experience in a

traditional relationship. This may

not always be the best criteria.

The majority of collaborative

programmes result from and

evolution of more traditional

trading interfaces. It is important

to understand the differing

dynamics of a collaborative

approach and assess the

strengths and weaknesses

whatever the route to selection.

It is clearly important to ensure

that selection maintains the

competitive edge that many see

only coming from competition. To

build confidence in the selection

process a competitive starting

approach is always favourable or

a way of conducting a form of

robust benchmarking. It should

however clearly define the end

game up front to avoid confusion

later.

1. Identify collaborative

partners

Whatever the drivers for

collaboration it is important to

have a clear perspective on

which the potential partner(s)

may be. Experience suggests

that in many organisations their

will preferred contenders for a

variety of reasons.

Understanding who could be in

the game allows a transparent

process to be developed.

2. Partner selection process

Many organisations will have

established processes for partner

selection and these should be

followed as the starting point to

seek out the ideal collaborative

partner. The aims of the

collaboration need to be defined

together with the relative value

that will be placed on their

collaborative capability. Using the

reference point of BS 11000 can

provide a valuable benchmark for

assessing a collaborative

approach.

3. Establish common

objectives

Throughout the selection process

it is advisable to work with the

potential partners to understand

their objectives as well as

building a dialogue around

common objectives and

outcomes. These may not always

be the same but should be

evaluated for alignment and

compatibility.

4. Negotiation strategy

Perhaps the most difficult aspect

of creating a collaborative

approach comes through the

process of negotiation. The

implications of the style of

negotiation can be far reaching.

The nature negotiations will set

the tone for the future

relationship. Whilst we have all

experienced the WIN/WIN

approach the reality is that most

exchanges if not managed

effectively will revert to traditional

arm wrestling and poker playing.

This is not to suggest that

negotiations should not be robust

and commercially focused but be

sure that the end game is always

kept in mind.

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Working together Setting the governance and management

Once the partner(s) are selected

the focus shifts to ensuring that

relationship is placed on a sound

foundation. Establishing the right

platform on which to create a

collaborative relationship is

crucial. Clearly there will need to

be an agreed contract however it

is important to work jointly on

setting out the appropriate

governance model that will

support collaborative working.

1. Joint sponsorship

As operations are likely to reach

beyond those initially involved in

establishing the relationship it is

important that there is joint

executive sponsorship to provide

overall support.

2. Objectives & principles

There needs to be clear and

transparent agreement on the

desired outcomes and objectives

of the relationship which must

also reflect joint ownership of the

principles that will govern the

behaviours of those involved.

3. Competency review

It is advisable to undertake a

joint assessment of the

competencies and skills of those

to be engaged in delivery and

where appropriate agree a joint

development plan.

4. Joint management team

Establishing a management

team together with a clearly

defined profile of roles and

responsibilities ensures that all

participants fully understand their

contribution

5. Information management

Effective management of

knowledge and information is

crucial to ensure that the

partners are clear on what and

how to share information.

6. Communications plan

As the relationship becomes

established it is advisable to

establish a plan for effective

communications across the

stakeholders.

7. Joint risk management

A Key to maintaining a

successful relationship is to

ensure there is an effective joint

management of risk, including

those of the partners which may

impact the relationship.

8. Process review

When first establishing the

relationship it is valuable to

undertake a joint review of the

delivery processes. This will

establish the platform for

effective performance and

provide a basis to ensure prior to

formally contracting that all key

issues have been jointly

addressed.

9. Monitor & measure

In any relationship it is important

to understand how the

relationship and delivery

performance will be measured.

Ensure that performance

incentives also support required

behaviours.

10. Relationship management

plan

It will be helpful to agree a joint

relationship plan which may be

established as an annex to any

contract but will become a

working document for the parties

to manage the relationship.

11. Contracting arrangement

Finally whatever contracting

model is used it should be jointly

agree and evaluated against the

relationship approach and be

compatible with the joint

principles, aims and objectives.

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Value creation Joint continual improvement

Experience suggests that

relationships will tend to plateau

over time if not driven to maintain

continual improvement. The

relationships which are

particularly focused on long term

benefit must maintain a

relevance to markets and

customer needs. A major value

from collaborative approaches

comes from the ability to share

ideas and harness alternative

perspectives. Those that look for

additional benefit often exceed

their original objectives and

perform much better overall.

The parallel benefit that can

come from adopting a structured

approach to joint continual

improvement is that in working to

co-create business and product

value creation improvement

beyond the initial aims is that it

helps to engender improved

engagement across partnering

teams.

1. Value creation process

Whilst they is great value in a

spontaneous approach to

innovation establishing a joint

process that ensures both

targeted support and encourages

new ideas is very powerful. A

structured approach will underpin

the sustainable engagement and

provide a measure of integration

and continual focus on driving

greater value form the

relationship.

2. Joint innovation Groups

How organisations chose to

encourage innovation depends

on a wide variety of factors but is

often managed well by

establishing joint cross function

teams which can be convened to

address specific challenges or

ideas.

3. Areas for improvement

The key to optimising this co-

creation is to ensure that

identified issues are regularly

reviewed and where necessary

culled if not delivering. This

ensures resources are not

wasted or distract from the

primary objectives.

4. Define value

One of the major challenges in

any relationship is to define what

value means for those involved.

This is the responsibility of the

joint management team and

executive sponsors. These

longer term values may be

common or complementary.

5. Learning from experience

As organisations begin to work

together more closely it is equally

important to capture the lessons

learned. This is a key aspect of

creating value and setting the

agenda for innovation.

6. Generating innovation

Few business activities will stay

constant for very long and

particularly in a technology-

focused environment, innovation

is crucial to maintain competitive

edge for the relationship and the

partners. Whilst there may be

many common opportunities it is

also important that some aspects

may on occasions only benefit

one party support for these is

equally important

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Staying together Managing relationships over time

Business relationships will likely

change over time. This may be

as a result of either internal and

external factors or pressures.

Even where partners have

invested in creating a firm

foundation and governance the

people involved will develop or

move on, which will change the

dynamics of the relationship

which is a strong reason for

embedding the collaborative

practice in the operating model.

In order continuously to achieve

performance goals it is crucial to

establish a programme that

works to maintain a sustainable

relationship through ongoing joint

management.

1. Monitor performance

In the majority of organisations

there will be established

processes for monitoring

performance. Frequently

however these are focused on

outcomes, deliverables or mainly

profitability. These are clearly

very important but where

collaboration is an integral part of

the business performance this

should also include monitoring

the strength of the relationship.

2. Measurement

It is common practice to utilise

both Service level agreements

(SLAs) and Key performance

Indicators (KPIs). It is important

to understand and agree how the

performance of the contract and

the relationship will be jointly

measured and ensure

appropriate reviews are

undertaken.

3. Joint Team management

The principle key to sustaining

any relationship is to ensure

there is effective joint

management of the approach.

This should be focused on

managing the day to day

activities of the relationship.

4. Support innovation

There should be continuous

support and monitoring of

innovation and continual

improvement to ensure the

partnering teams are exploiting

their joint knowledge and where

appropriate enhancing their

skills.

5. Behaviours & Trust

Developing trust in the

relationships and ensuring the

appropriate behaviours is a key

aspect of joint management. As

trust increases the performance

of the relationship should

increase the value it delivers.

The wrong behaviours will

quickly undermine the situation

with the obvious impacts on

output.

6. Maintain performance

Business relationships are

created to meet the challenges of

the market. It is crucial that whilst

it is important to develop the

relationship the prime objectives

and contractual requirements

must be met.

7. Dispute resolution

Inevitably issues will arise and

too often these are left to fester

until they can in some cases

irreparably damage the

relationship. A crucial factor for

any collaborative approach is to

ensure there is a robust

approach to identifying and

managing disputes. If handled

well these issues are can

significantly strengthen a

relationship.

8. Joint exit strategy

The final aspect of maintaining

the relationship is to ensure the

exit strategy is jointly developed

and regularly reviewed and up

dated if necessary by the joint

management team.

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Exit strategy Effective disengagement

The exit strategy whilst shown as

the last stage in the relationship

life cycle it is in fact a key aspect

that should be addressed as part

of the initial thinking and carried

through the whole life cycle. The

strategy should focus on how the

parties plan to disengage when

necessary and ensure effective

business continuity and customer

support.

A strong relationship will

recognise the value of looking to

monitor the changes and ensure

that the concerns and needs of

each partner are duly addressed.

It is important to ensure that

whilst one particular initiative

may come to its useful end due

to a variety of factors others may

and should be emerge from

successful collaboration.

The implication of terminating an

agreement and how this is

viewed internally and from the

market is crucial to the reputation

of the parties. Whilst it may be

appropriate to cease activity how

this is presented and interpreted

will influence the way each party

proactively approaches

disengagement.

1. Maintain joint exit strategy

Jointly developing and

maintaining a focus on

disengagement ensures that the

partners have a clear focus on

the value of the collaboration.

This may seem too many to be a

negative approach but

experience suggest that

organisations who maintain a

realistic perspective will enjoy

greater engagement and thus

increased value from

collaboration.

2. Establish boundaries

It is important to clearly define

the boundaries of the

relationship, though it is accepted

that these may change over time

by mutual agreement. This

should include the business

risks.

3. Monitor changes

There should be regular joint

reviews of both the market and

the relationship to ensure it is still

relevant and delivering value to

the parties.

4. Establish triggers

It is crucial to agree the triggers

that would indicate the

relationship has fulfilled its useful

life.

5. Business continuity

The foundation of a sound

relationship is that whilst it

continues to add value it must

also recognise the implications of

maintaining continuity for both

the partners and their customers.

6. Transition

The termination of any

collaborative initiative needs to

be effectively orchestrated by the

partners. This particularly

important where service

provision is being transferred to

another party.

7. Future opportunities

Finally if the relationship has

been well managed and

delivered its objectives then the

way should be open to consider

future possibilities for

collaboration.

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About BSI BSI is a global independent business services organisation that inspires confidence and delivers assurance to over 80,000 customers with standards-based solutions. Originating as the world’s first national standards body, BSI has over 2,400 staff operating in over 120 countries through more than 50 global offices. BSI’s key offerings are:

The development and sale of private, national and international standards and supporting information that promote and share best practice

Second and third-party management systems assessment and certification in all critical areas of management disciplines

Product testing and certification of services and products including Kitemark®, one of the one of the world’s most recognised quality symbols

Certification of high-risk, complex medical devices

Performance management software solutions

Training services in support of standards implementation and business best practice. For further information please visit www.bsigroup.co.uk.

or contact John Osborne email: [email protected]

About PSL PSL established in 1990 is a joint Department for Business Innovation and Skills (formerly DTI), and Confederation of British Industry (CBI) initiative. It was initially funded by the DTI it now operates as a not-for-profit organisation. PSL’s role is to help organisations, large and small, from the public or private sector, to build and develop more effective and competitive business relationships based upon a collaborative approach. PSL provides practical guidance based on its portfolio of experience and utilising its extensive knowledge network. For further information please visit www.pslcbi.com or contact: David Hawkins, Director of Operations, email: [email protected]

Page 16: Introducing: BS 11000€¦ · The networked economy is re-writing traditional ... resources to meet mutually defined objectives and to provide new levels of value creation. Collaborative

Copyright Midas projects Limited 2010