How to Choose a Data Delivery Partner: A Practical Scorecard
Choose a data delivery partner with an outcome brief, a clear view of partner vs staffing vs managed provider, an evidence-led scorecard, governance, and continuity.
Frequently asked questions
What should a data delivery partner outcome brief include?
The business problem, data products or platforms involved, users of the result, constraints, decisions that stay internal, and how you will know the work is finished.
How is a delivery partner different from a staffing firm?
A delivery partner is accountable for an agreed outcome within your governance. A staffing firm supplies individuals your managers direct.
What evidence should we ask providers for?
Anonymized working artifacts such as a sample runbook, an acceptance checklist, a post-incident review, and the role and authority of the accountable lead.
How do we avoid dependency on a partner?
Require work in your systems, documentation as part of done, internal pairing on production changes, and a supported handover period in the agreement.