
Starting collaboration is a process
Jan 25, 2022Sign 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!
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