Six dimensions. Ten domains. 240+ assessment data points. A framework built from two decades of running partner programs, not from a whiteboard.
The standard consulting approach evaluates partner programs across People, Process, and Technology. It's a fine framework for IT projects. It's incomplete for partner ecosystems.
Partner programs are fundamentally economic constructs. The margin structure, incentive design, and cost-to-serve model drive partner behavior more than any portal feature or training module. Yet traditional assessments treat economics as context, not a dimension.
"Data quality is consistently the number-one operational pain point in every partner program I've assessed. Not technology. Not process. Data. If you can't measure it, you can't manage it, and most programs can't measure what matters."
Partner experience determines whether a program succeeds or fails in the market. Partners choose where to invest their time. If your portal takes 47 clicks to register a deal, they'll register it with your competitor who takes 4.
The 6D framework adds Policy & Economics, Data & Analytics, and Partner Experience to the standard three. Applied across 10 operational domains with 240+ assessment points, it produces findings that are specific, scored, and tied to financial impact. It didn't come from a whiteboard. It came from running these programs for two decades.
Every RouteWorks engagement applies all six dimensions. No exceptions. Each dimension captures a distinct failure mode that the others miss.
Program rules, margin structure, incentive budgets, cost-to-serve by route, marketplace economics. The financial architecture that drives partner behavior. Most programs fail here first — incentive structures that reward the wrong behavior, or economics that make the math not work for the partner.
Roles, staffing ratios, decision rights, governance bodies, executive sponsorship. Who owns what and whether the organizational structure actually supports the program strategy. A technically sound program fails without the org to run it.
Workflows, SLAs, escalation paths, approval chains, audit trails. The operational machinery that determines execution speed and partner trust. This is where partner satisfaction is won or lost day-to-day.
Data quality, integration health, reporting accuracy, attribution models, dashboards. The measurement infrastructure most programs lack. If you can't attribute revenue to the right route and partner, you're making program decisions on bad information.
Platform architecture, PRM/CRM integration topology, automation maturity, AI readiness. Whether the tech stack enables the program or constrains it. Most stacks were built around features, not around the route types they're supposed to support.
Portal usability, self-service capability, onboarding friction, satisfaction, time-to-value. How partners actually experience working with you — not how the vendor thinks they experience it. PX predicts partner retention and revenue durability when programs change hands.
The six dimensions are applied within each domain, producing a scoring matrix that reveals where the program is strong, where it's fragile, and where the highest-impact fixes are.
Every engagement produces findings that are evidence-based, dimension-tagged, and dollar-denominated. Designed to survive scrutiny from a CFO, a PE investment committee, or a Board.
A scored heatmap across all six dimensions and applicable domains. Shows exactly where the program is strong, where it's fragile, and what the maturity gaps are by route type.
Revenue at risk, cost of inaction, and recovery opportunity in dollar terms. Every finding is attached to a financial consequence. This is what makes recommendations actionable, not advisory.
Quantified risks ranked by probability and revenue impact. Includes dimension tagging so every risk maps back to the root cause, not just the symptom.
90-day quick wins separated from 6-12 month structural improvements. Effort and impact scored. Designed for an operator to execute, not for a consultant to present and leave.
Engagements are scoped to the situation — complexity, route mix, and timeline. Most start with a 30-minute conversation. No minimum spend to have that call.
Structured intake of strategic intent, product competitive position, route types, and constraints, run through the RouteWorks Cascade Engine. Produces incentive architecture and channel design recommendations with trade-off options in a single session. The fastest way to get directionally correct before committing to a full engagement.
A structured 6D evaluation across your active route types. AI-assisted assessment with operator validation, scored across all six dimensions. Delivers a maturity baseline, financial impact summary, and prioritized action roadmap. Designed for companies that need a defensible diagnosis without a multi-month commitment. Baseline fee credited toward any full engagement within 90 days.
Comprehensive diagnostic across all 10 domains and 6 dimensions. Stakeholder interviews, systems review, partner feedback, financial impact analysis. Produces a scored maturity heatmap, risk register, and 90/180-day prioritized roadmap.
Compressed-timeline assessment designed for PE deal processes. Evaluates partner concentration risk, revenue durability, integration complexity, and ecosystem health. Strategic intent is derived from PE deal team inputs — hold period, entry multiple, exit target — not management self-reporting. Management systematically overstates growth intent. If the program architecture doesn't match what the investment thesis requires, that misalignment has a dollar value. We produce that number. Investment committee-ready deliverables.
Design or redesign of program structure, economic models, tiering, and operational systems. For companies building new partner programs or transforming existing ones that have outgrown their infrastructure.
Evaluate readiness to list, transact, and manage co-sell through AWS, Azure, and GCP marketplaces. Includes channel conflict analysis, financial impact modeling, and an acceleration roadmap.
Focused assessment of a specific partner route — MSP program, distribution model, SI ecosystem. Ideal when you know which route needs attention but need the diagnostic to quantify the gap and design the fix.
Ongoing access for channel strategy, partner escalations, program design decisions, and board-level partner strategy. An experienced operator on call without a full-time hire.
Full 6D assessment with Federal and/or SLED overlay. Covers contract vehicles (GSA, GWACs, BPAs), compliance requirements (FedRAMP, CMMC, ITAR), procurement cycles, and public sector partner economics.
Engagement scope and investment are determined in an initial conversation. Most clients have clarity on fit within 30 minutes.