Decision tree

Is this work ready for a delivery partner?

Fit depends less on company type than on whether the relationship, service promise, work lane, and decision rights can be named.

Do you own the client relationship?

Your practice should already control the client contract, retail offer, and advisory context.

Yes

Continue to the service promise.

This is not a referral marketplace or a substitute for relationship ownership.

The delivery lane needs an intelligible promise, not only a list of tools.

Yes

Continue to the work lane.

Not clearly

Clarify the retail offer before adding delivery capacity.

Service desk, Microsoft 365 stewardship, or a managed cadence can be scoped. “Everything IT” cannot.

Yes

Continue to ownership and exceptions.

Map recurring work before selecting a plan.

Delivery needs a named return point when authority, relationship risk, or scope is unclear.

Yes

You have the basis for a readiness review.

Appoint an owner before onboarding begins.

Typical candidates

MSP	Add a defined delivery lane behind an established managed-services offer.
IT consultancy	Keep advisory ownership while adding repeatable operational capacity.
VAR or service firm	Support an existing client book where the managed promise is explicit.
Weak fit	No client owner, undefined coverage, one-off emergency rescue, or assumed unlimited scope.

The readiness guide identifies the inputs a delivery boundary requires.