Partner-Led Checklist

This article is a quick checklist for organizations engaging a System Integrator (SI) partner for their first Unqork application build where the partner leads the development. Its purpose is to allow you to establish a strong foundational understanding of the Unqork platform while ensuring strict Delivery Oversight. This ensures that even without building personally, your team gains the necessary knowledge to guarantee the partner builds a performant, scalable application that your organization can eventually maintain or expand upon.

We recommend reading the full document in addition to using this checklist found here.

Meeting Checklist

This cadence ensures your team is not a passive bystander. Rigor and accountability from your SI Partner are required to catch issues early and build your team's platform literacy. All team members should simultaneously pursue Unqork Academy certifications to better understand the partner's technical language.

Meeting	Cadence	Attendees	Purpose
Stand-up	Daily	Business Lead, Technical Lead, Observers	Observational Planning. Listen to progress and identify any blockers the partner is facing to understand the development lifecycle.
Sprint Planning	Weekly	Application Engineers, Business Analyst	Requirement Breakdown. Learn how the partner translates requirements into specific Unqork tasks and tickets.
Knowledge Transfer Sync	Weekly	All Team Members	Platform Fundamentals. A dedicated session where the partner explains a specific component or logic they built that week and why they chose that approach..
Architecture Review	Bi-Weekly	Technical Lead, Solution Architect	Technical Sign-off. Review the evolving design. Focus on scalability and how the application interacts with your existing tech stack
Bi-Weekly Sprint Demo	Bi-Weekly	Technical Lead, Business Analyst	Feature Validation. Formally accept or reject features. Ensure the delivered work aligns with the original vision and is "user-friendly".
Executive Steering	Monthly	Sponsor, Business Lead, Technical Lead	Risk & Strategic Alignment. High-level review of ROI, timeline risks, and partner performance.

IV. Client-Owned Governance Artifacts Review

In a partner-led build, these documents are essential. They represent the "knowledge" a partner is handing off to you. You must review them for clarity so a person who didn't build the app (your team) can understand them. Many of these documents need to be initially generated by you and delivered to the partner, but a formal sign off from the partner is needed for each to ensure what you have provided is feasible and within the scope of phase 1 of the application.

Before signing off on these documents, please make sure you are confident in the depth and completeness of each. Asking clarifying questions before acceptance should be the norm. Here are a few sample questions to ask yourself to ensure you are prepared to take over the application:

Is the language in this document too technical, or can our Business Lead understand it?
If the partner team left tomorrow, could we use this Runbook to fix a minor issue?
Does the Data Dictionary clearly define what every field does?
Are the API response times documented so we know what "normal" performance looks like?

Received?	Artifact	Purpose or Description	Phase
	Project Plan	Detailed schedule including tasks, resource assignments, and overall timeline management.	Kickoff
	Stakeholder Interview Questions	The guide used by the Partner to capture key perspectives and alignment from leadership and process owners.	Kickoff
	Non-Functional Requirements	Defines technical criteria for system operation, including performance, security, and compliance requirements (NFRs).	Kickoff
	User Persona	Defines the goals, needs, and pain points of the different end-user types (e.g., Submitter, Approver).	Kickoff
	Environment Setup Tracker	Tracks the status, access keys, and configuration details of all development and testing environments.	Kickoff
	Functional Requirements	Defines what the application must do, detailing specific application behavior and features.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Business Process Architecture	Documents a high-level view of the entire application flow end-to-end, including roles and integration points.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Solutions Architecture (System Context)	High-level technical overview of the application's place in the broader system landscape and core technical strategy.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	API Specification	Details all external API calls, including resilience strategy, authentication scheme, and request/response schemas.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Integrations Summary Deck	High-level summary of all systems to be integrated, including status and data flow.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Data Model	Illustrates how data entities (people, objects, concepts) relate to each other, often including schemas and an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD).	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Data Dictionary	Collects descriptions of all data objects, fields, and items used in the data model.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Data Architecture Components	Documents data sources, acquisition, transformation, storage, retention, and exit strategy.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	RBAC Diagram	Documents the application's roles, groups, and the approach to restricting module and submission access.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	QA Test Strategy	Defines the methodology, tools, and overall approach for quality assurance and testing efforts.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Test Scenario and Test Case	Detailed list of scenarios and specific steps for formal testing and validation.	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Artifact Process Flow (UI Example)	Documents the application flow and provides visual user interface examples (wireframes/mockups).	Discovery and Requirements Gathering
	Release Roadmap	High-level plan showing architecture, configuration, and final release milestones.	Go Live and Handoff
	Runbook / Production Readiness Guide	Step-by-step guide for monitoring, troubleshooting, and resolving common incidents after go-live (L1/L2 support).	Go Live and Handoff
	Configuration Documentation	Explains complex module configurations, custom settings, and rationale for using specific components for future maintenance.	Go Live and Handoff
	NFR Validation Report	Formal report proving the application meets all agreed-upon Non-Functional Requirements (e.g., latency, peak load, security checks).	Go Live and Handoff

Documentation Index

Partner-Led Checklist