What's Working Well?

Which vendor relationships are thriving, and what makes them successful?

Our design vendor consistently delivers high-quality work on time, thanks to their clear processes and open communication channels.

The marketing agency we work with really understands our brand voice and provides valuable strategic input.

Our cloud hosting provider has been incredibly responsive whenever we've had technical issues or needed to scale resources.

Pain Points & Challenges

What vendor-related issues are causing frustration or delays?

Our IT hardware vendor often ships incomplete orders, causing delays in our deployment timelines.

The invoicing process with our accounting firm is convoluted and leads to frequent billing disputes.

Our data center vendor's maintenance windows frequently conflict with our peak usage times, causing service disruptions.

Process & Workflow

How can we improve processes and workflows with our vendors?

Implementing a centralized vendor management system could help us track contracts, invoices, and performance metrics more efficiently.

Establishing clear service level agreements (SLAs) with vendors could help align expectations and improve accountability.

Conducting regular vendor performance reviews could provide valuable feedback and foster continuous improvement.

Strategic Alignment

How can we better align vendor partnerships with our long-term goals?

Our current vendors may not have the expertise to support our planned expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. We should explore partnerships with local vendors.

As we shift towards a more sustainable business model, we may need to reevaluate our vendor selection criteria to prioritize eco-friendly practices.

To stay ahead of the competition, we should explore partnerships with vendors offering cutting-edge technologies or innovative solutions.

Cost Optimization

How can we optimize costs and maximize value from our vendor relationships?

Consolidating our software vendors and negotiating enterprise-wide licenses could lead to significant cost savings.

Implementing a vendor performance-based pricing model could incentivize better service and quality from our partners.

Exploring offshore or nearshore vendors for certain services could provide cost advantages without compromising quality.

What is the Vendor Management Review?

The Vendor Management Review is a structured retrospective that helps teams assess their relationships with external vendors, identify areas for improvement, and optimize processes. By examining what's working well, pain points, workflows, and other key factors, teams can strengthen vendor collaborations and drive better outcomes. This review encourages open discussions, fosters continuous improvement, and aligns teams and vendors towards shared goals. It's particularly valuable for teams that rely heavily on vendor services or have complex vendor management processes.

Vendor Management Review format

What's Working Well? Which vendor relationships are thriving, and what makes them successful?: This topic allows the team to highlight positive aspects of their vendor collaborations. Encourage participants to share specific examples of effective communication, reliable service, or successful projects. Discuss what factors contribute to these strong relationships and how to replicate them with other vendors.
Pain Points & Challenges What vendor-related issues are causing frustration or delays?: This topic allows the team to surface any recurring problems or bottlenecks in their vendor relationships. Encourage participants to be specific about the issues they face, whether it's poor communication, missed deadlines, quality concerns, or misaligned expectations. Discuss the root causes and potential solutions.
Process & Workflow How can we improve processes and workflows with our vendors?: This topic focuses on optimizing the processes and workflows involved in vendor management. Encourage participants to identify bottlenecks, redundancies, or areas where better coordination or automation could streamline operations. Discuss potential process improvements that could benefit both internal teams and vendors.
Strategic Alignment How can we better align vendor partnerships with our long-term goals?: This topic encourages the team to consider how their vendor relationships support the organization's broader strategic objectives. Discuss how vendor partnerships can be leveraged to drive innovation, expand into new markets, or enhance competitive advantages. Explore opportunities for deeper collaboration or new vendor partnerships.
Cost Optimization How can we optimize costs and maximize value from our vendor relationships?: This topic focuses on identifying opportunities to reduce costs or increase the return on investment (ROI) from vendor partnerships. Encourage participants to share ideas for negotiating better rates, consolidating vendors, or leveraging economies of scale. Discuss ways to measure and quantify the value delivered by vendors.

When to use this retrospective

When you have a significant number of vendor relationships that require regular review and optimization.
If you've experienced recurring issues or challenges with specific vendors that need to be addressed.
As part of a periodic vendor management process to ensure alignment, identify improvement areas, and foster continuous collaboration.
When considering strategic changes or initiatives that may impact your vendor partnerships or require new vendor relationships.

Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting

Encourage open and honest feedback from all team members, but avoid personal attacks or blame games.
Invite representatives from key vendor partners to participate and provide their perspectives.
Use data and metrics to support observations and recommendations whenever possible.
Assign action items and owners for any identified improvement areas or follow-up tasks.
Consider involving stakeholders from other departments, such as procurement, legal, or finance, for a more comprehensive review.
Foster a collaborative and solution-oriented mindset, focusing on how to strengthen vendor partnerships for mutual benefit.

New to retrospectives? Read our guide on how to run a retrospective →