ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the importance of applying the basic principles of business metrics to relationship assessment and how this is used to manage collaborative performance. It provides a step-by-step guide to how the strengths and weaknesses of relationships can be measured and understood. The sponsors need to be the participant organizations' Relationship Managers; senior people who will represent their organizations throughout the process and will be responsible for leading the emergent change program. The attendees from the participating organizations will include the senior sponsors, often at director level and above; the Relationship Managers who will take the action program forward; and departmental managers and key staff who will be affected. The group must not indulge in finger-pointing and laying the blame at anyone's door because this is counter-productive. The overall aim is to capture and utilize reliable data in a rigorously repeatable method.
