Relationship Advisory and Vested

Achieve the Optimum Service Results and Relationships

The Forefront Group is a Certified Vested Center of Excellence and is proud to be part of the Vested Way team as a Vested Advisory Board Member. We are a certified project support provider and trainer. We have several Certified Vested Deal Architects to assist companies with their journey to Vested.

What Is Vested®?

Vested is a business model, methodology, mindset and movement for creating highly collaborative business relationships that enable true win-win relationships in which both parties are equally committed to each other’s success.

When applied, a Vested approach fosters an environment that sparks innovation, resulting in improved service, reduced costs and value that didn’t exist before — for both parties.

Vested is based on award-winning research conducted by the University of Tennessee College of Business Administration and funded by the U.S. Air Force.

  • A Mindset – Based on research from 3 Nobel prizes, Vested uses a “WIIFWe” Mindset to enable value creation (pie expansion) and value sharing (win-win) economics;
  • A Methodology – The Vested methodology involves following Five Rules supported by 10 contractual elements that formally documents the operating norms, economics and governance business partners need for success. Partial implementation will lead to the 10 Ailments of Outsourcing and a smaller pie for both parties;
  • A Mindset – Based on research from 3 Nobel prizes, Vested uses a “WIIFWe” Mindset to enable value creation (pie expansion) and value sharing (win-win) economics;
  • A Methodology – The Vested methodology involves following Five Rules supported by 10 contractual elements that formally documents the operating norms, economics and governance business partners need for success. Partial implementation will lead to the 10 Ailments of Outsourcing and a smaller pie for both parties;
  • A Business Model – If the methodology is followed it created an outcome based business model that drives innovation and creates transformational results;
  • A Movement – that will change the way companies treat their strategic business partners
Vested is:
  • A game changing methodology for fully collaborative supply relationships
  • Associated with Game Theory / Behavioral Economics
    Includes a combination of “5 Rules” and “10 Contractual Elements” in development of the business relationship agreement
  • Centered around buying desired outcomes versus outputs (tasks and/or activities) with the conscious effort to use incentives to drive innovation
  • Focused on establishment of a balanced and equitable relationship for both parties
  • Supported as the “next generation in outsourcing” by the Outsourcing Institute as a key concept of Outsourcing 2.0
  • Being associated as the “business concept of the decade” similar to Lean and Six Sigma
Vested Coaching and Training:

The ideal coaching arrangement follows the 5 Rules and 10 Contractual Elements framework. This is supported by a University of Tennessee faculty member and a Certified Vested Deal Architect real time as the two parties progress through development of a relationship agreement. This is typically delivered in five, 2-day workshops. Each workshop contains multiple elements, taught as “modules”, and the training is given “just in time” in conjunction with your project’s timing. The detailed development of the final relationship agreement is supported with coaching throughout the process by a Certified Vested Deal Architect to assure that all contractual elements are completed. The Forefront Group team functions as a neutral third party with both.

Vested Business Model

Several Options are available for enhancing the performance of your company’s current outsourced services or forging a brand new outsourcing project. Get the performance expectations right and establish the correct metrics for the optimum sustainable performance based relationship.

Contact us for further information or visit www.vestedway.com for more information.