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Starting collaboration is a process

origanius pietverhoeve
hand with several gears representing the process of collaboration

Sign contracts before you start the collaboration. An advice often put forward by the legal departments. While it is a good advice to discuss and close contracts when collaborating, it seems to suggest that the contract is the first and most important step to realise collaboration.

While it is a necessary step, it is not the first one to take in my opinion. My experience with the many collaboration projects I successfully set up in the past, shows me that there are other steps to take. You can even state that realizing collaboration is a process, that comprises several steps:

  • Identifying collaboration opportunities
  • Finding partners
  • Defining the goals of the collaboration
  • Creating the project structure, the work plan, the project risks, the resources, project management etc.
  • Closing contracts and IPR agreement
  • Executing the project plan
  • Risk management
  • Realizing the results

The timing and effort of all phases can vary depending on the nature of your collaboration. If you aim for a high-risk project the effort you put in risk management will be larger than when the risks are lower. Collaboration involving many partners will require more effort and control structures than a two-partner collaboration.

 

Which phase do you find most difficult? Do you see other phases? Let me know!