A joint business plan (JBP) is the document that defines the operating relationship between a vendor and a hyperscaler partner — typically AWS, Microsoft, or Google — for a defined period (usually a fiscal year or a half).
It is not a sales document. It is an operating contract.
The JBP defines what the two organizations will do together, what the hyperscaler will fund (MDF, MAP, SAF, ISV Accelerate), what targets the partnership will hit (sourced pipeline, attached pipeline, marketplace consumption, customer wins), and how the two sides will execute (co-sell motions, account mapping cadence, JEB rhythms, escalation paths).
Done well, the JBP is a tight document — typically 5–15 pages — that aligns both organizations on a small number of measurable outcomes. Done poorly, it is a 60-page deck full of generic better-together assertions, vague pipeline aspirations, and unfunded initiatives.
The difference is whether the JBP is built around an operating system both sides will actually run — or whether it is a one-time prep exercise for the QBR season.
What practitioners ask
- “How do I write a joint business plan with AWS or Microsoft?”
- “What should I include in a partner go-to-market plan?”
The answer
A good JBP has five sections: thesis, targets, motions, funding, and rhythm. Each is short, specific, and measurable.
The thesis answers: why does this partnership exist this year? Not in general — this year. What customer problem are we both pursuing? What technical or commercial primitive makes us better together? If you can’t write the thesis in one paragraph, the JBP isn’t ready.
The targets translate the thesis into measurable commitments: sourced pipeline ($M), attached pipeline ($M), customer wins (#), marketplace consumption ($M), seller activation rate (%). Three to five numbers, not twenty. Each tied to a specific motion you’ll run.
The motions describe what you’ll execute to hit those targets — co-sell motions, joint marketing campaigns, customer events, technical integration milestones. These should map 1:1 to a co-sell motion both organizations can actually run inside a shared environment. If a motion exists in the JBP but no one runs it day-to-day, it’s a fiction.
The funding maps what the hyperscaler will invest: MDF allocation, technical resource hours (PSAs, SAs), program eligibility (ISV Accelerate, MAP, SAF). A common failure pattern: vendors write motions assuming funding the hyperscaler hasn’t actually committed.
The rhythm defines how the two organizations will run the plan: weekly motion review, monthly pipeline sync, quarterly business review, half-year reset. The rhythm makes the JBP an operating system rather than a static document.
The JBP itself is short. The system that runs it is what makes the difference — and that system is what the WorkSpan Partner Revenue Platform provides.
Use this framework
JBP TEMPLATE — copy and complete
1. THESIS (1 paragraph)
- Customer problem we are both pursuing this year:
- Why we are better together (technical or commercial primitive):
- The 3-year horizon this connects to:
2. TARGETS (3–5 numbers)
- Sourced pipeline: $___M
- Attached pipeline: $___M
- Marketplace consumption: $___M
- Customer wins (logos): ___
- Seller activation rate: ___%
3. MOTIONS (5–8 motions, each with: name, owner pair, target, cadence)
- Motion: [name]
Vendor owner: [role / name]
Partner owner: [role / name]
Target this maps to: [target #]
Cadence: [weekly / per-trigger / monthly]
Live in: [shared environment / CRM / portal]
4. FUNDING (matched to motions)
- MDF this period: $___
- Technical resource hours: ___
- Program eligibility: [list]
- Funded motions: [link to motion list]
5. RHYTHM (operating cadence)
- Weekly: motion review (who, when)
- Monthly: pipeline sync (who, when)
- Quarterly: QBR (format, attendees)
- Half-year: reset criteria (what triggers a re-write)
6. ATTACHMENTS
- Account list (matched inside the shared environment)
- Customer references
- Co-marketing calendar
Failure modes to avoid:
- Generic "better-together" thesis with no customer specificity
- Targets without a motion to drive them
- Motions without an owner pair on both sides
- Funded programs without eligibility verified
- No rhythm — the JBP becomes a deck, not an operating systemRelated concepts
- Co-Sell Engine — the motion the JBP commits to running
- Shared Environment — where the motions actually execute
- Operator OS — the daily system that runs the JBP
- Partnership Operator — the role accountable for delivering the plan
- Partner Revenue Platform — the architecture that makes the plan operational