Partnership Ops System (Design)
Purpose: Describe how Brainforge runs partnership operations end-to-end: principles, artifacts, cadences, and data flow. This design layers a hyperscaler-style operating model (consumption, certs, PM + AE propagation, proof artifacts) on top of the existing repo-first playbook (90-day tests, Control Centers, tracker, weekly digest).
Audience: Leadership, partnerships owner, ops (e.g. digest owner), anyone building process or tooling.
Last updated: 2026-04-07
1. Principles
- Test partners with 90-day plans, not vibes — See 90-Day Activation Playbook.
- Repo is the operational source of truth for partnership state — Control Centers and partner folders under
knowledge/sales/partners/; weekly digest synthesizes from repo (Weekly Partnerships Digest PRD). - Hyperscaler partners get an extra layer — For Snowflake-class partners, run the Snowflake hyperscaler approach: consumption, certs, AE brief, PM cadence, post-win proof.
- One narrow external story per major partner — Especially for platform partners: three capabilities, not ten (see hyperscaler doc).
2. System map (components)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Strategy & qualification │
│ (IPP, 4 questions, tiering) │
└────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌────────────────────────────▼────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Per-partner folder + PARTNER_CONTROL_CENTER.md │
│ — Status, 90D goal, next actions, blockers, materials index │
└────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐
│ HubSpot / │ │ Tracker │ │ Weekly digest (Rico) │
│ CRM (deals) │ │ (columns) │ │ repo + git activity │
└──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘
Platform / hyperscaler overlay (Snowflake, AWS, …):
— Consumption log + cert inventory + AE brief + PM quarterly + proof docs
Not every partner needs the full hyperscaler overlay—use it where the partner’s org rewards consumption + certifications + PM/AE forwarding.
3. Roles (RACI-style, lightweight)
| Activity | Primary | Support |
|---|---|---|
| Control Center updates after material actions | Partnerships owner / assigned GTM | Anyone on the thread updates repo |
| 90-day activation design | Partnerships + leadership | VP Partnerships agent / playbook |
| Hyperscaler dials (consumption, certs, brief) | Partnerships + delivery (consumption facts) | Marketing (case studies), Ops (NDAs, contracts) |
| Weekly digest | Rico (EA) per PRD | Team responds to Thursday nudges |
| Snowflake cadence in sales-partnerships (AE/PM, snapshot, brief, quarterly PM) | Uttam — partnership-manager-playbook-slack.md | Internal channel only; thread → Cursor repo; HubSpot via partner-hubspot-ops |
| Partner contracts / NDA | Ops | Legal as needed |
4. Cadence stack
| Layer | Weekly | Monthly | Quarterly |
|---|---|---|---|
| All tiered partners | Tier-based touch frequency per Partner Playbook; digest | Review 90D status; pipeline metrics | Continue / pause / reset 90-day tests |
| Gold partners | Move every week (digest) | Deep dive as needed | Strategic realignment |
| Hyperscaler (e.g. Snowflake) | Champion AE touches; brief stays current | Consumption + proof artifact progress | Partner manager session; cert plan; AE propagation map |
5. Data objects (what “good” looks like)
| Object | Where it lives | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Partner state snapshot | PARTNER_CONTROL_CENTER.md | Digest, reviews, handoffs |
| 90-day hypothesis | Control Center + tracker | Go/no-go on partner investment |
| AE-facing brief (hyperscaler) | PDF + link from Control Center §9 | PM + AE forwarding |
| Consumption / attribution notes | Internal sheet or CRM + summarized in brief | Credibility with PM/AEs |
| Proof artifacts (case study, one-pager) | Engagement / marketing + linked in Control Center | Momentum inside partner org |
6. Building “partnership ops” as a system
Phase 1 — Already in repo: Control Centers, playbooks, digest PRD, Snowflake hyperscaler approach doc, Slack PM playbook.
Phase 2 — Hardening: Single tracker row + Control Center in sync; HubSpot links on master partner records; consumption and certs fields either in tracker columns or a linked ops sheet referenced from Control Center.
Phase 3 — Automation (optional): Scripts or agents that (a) list partners with overdue next actions, (b) diff git for knowledge/sales/partners/ in the last 7 days, (c) prompt Rico’s digest template. The digest PRD already defines repo-first synthesis.
Agentic HubSpot writes (no UI for creates): tools/hubspot-api-service exposes npm run partner-hubspot to log notes and tasks on partner contacts/companies from the terminal; optional Supabase append-only table partner_agent_crm_log (migration 011_partner_agent_crm_log.sql) for audit. See the package README in that folder.
Phase 4 — Marketplace / listings: For partners where listings matter (e.g. AWS, future Snowflake marketplace), track as explicit projects in Control Center §10 with owners and dates.
7. Related documents
| Doc | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Partner Playbook | Foundation: tiers, reps, assets |
| Partner Tracking System | Tracker semantics |
| Weekly Partnerships Digest PRD | Rico process, Thursday cadence |
| Partnership manager playbook (Slack) | Uttam-led reminders; Chris-aligned activities |
| Snowflake hyperscaler approach | Snowflake-specific dials and plays |
| PARTNER_FOLDER_STRUCTURE.md | Folder conventions |
| HubSpot partner data load handoff | Gmail / Drive / Slack sweep + Uttam runbook for partner-hubspot |
| Partnerships Manager — commission & variable comp | Internal hire: variable mix, crediting, MBOs, quarterly payout mechanics |