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Partnership Pipeline: from S1 to Formal Partnership

The S1 - S2 - S3 - Formal Partnership stages and what to capture at each stage to track partner development progress.

Administrator · 02/05/2026 · 488 views

1. Each collaboration has its own pipeline

Since one partner can run several collaborations in parallel (for example, a hardware distribution deal and a customer-referral arrangement), each collaboration progresses through stages independently.

2. The four standard stages

  1. S1 — Discovery / Initial contact: Partner information has just appeared, or first conversations have happened. No concrete commitment yet.
  2. S2 — Potential assessment: Deeper conversations have occurred and you are evaluating whether the partnership will deliver real value.
  3. S3 — Opportunity: A specific business opportunity (tender, customer, project) has been identified for both sides to pursue together.
  4. Formal partnership: NDA and partnership contract have been signed.

3. Information to capture

For each collaboration, keep the following fields up to date:

  • Stage, region, target customer segment
  • Internal owner and partner-side owner
  • Potential rating (1–5)
  • Source of the relationship (referral, marketing, event…)
  • Expected revenue and total milestone value
  • Legal review status (NDA, contract)
  • Start date, update history

4. When to move stages

Move to Signal
S2 The partner has agreed to discuss the partnership model in depth.
S3 (Opportunity) A concrete tender / customer / project is being pursued jointly.
Formal partnership The NDA and/or partnership contract has been signed by both sides.

5. Tips

  • Set the potential rating (1–5) as early as S1 so you can budget your time appropriately.
  • A collaboration "stuck" at S2 for too long (e.g., over 3 months) is usually a sign you should stop or change tactics.
  • When you advance to S3, link the actual opportunity in the Sales module so both sides of the relationship are tracked together.