Whether you’re a large publisher working with multiple external partners or a small studio offering specialized development services, effectively evaluating, engaging, and managing external development is both an art and a science.

In this practical session, we’ll collaboratively build a comprehensive checklist that spans the entire lifecycle of the business — from initial vetting and contracting to production, communication, and offboarding. The checklist will be organized into four key phases:

1. Pre-Business
   Best practices for scouting, pitching, evaluating, and selecting partners. Establishing sustainable, long-term business relationships with the right strategic fit.
2. Pre-Production / Onboarding
   Defining engagement requirements, RFPs, test projects, legal and procurement essentials. Creating clear roles, onboarding plans, successful kickoffs and milestone alignment.
3. Production
   Pipelines, workflows, tools, and communication frameworks. Feedback cycles, KPI tracking, risk management, and regular health assessments to keep production on track.
4. Post-Production / Offboarding
   Navigating renewals, ramp-ups and ramp-downs, contract closures, post-mortems, documentation, and knowledge transfer to ensure clean transitions and continuity.

Our goal is a foundational document of recommended business practices, and a structured, actionable checklist designed to reduce risk, improve collaboration, and ensure high-quality outcomes across all stages of external development.