In contract negotiations and in the legal relationships they produce, an important reason why so many cooperative endeavors fail is that people fail to create a shared vision and a mutual understanding about who will do what to fulfill that vision -- to get on the same page early on about what they are doing together, how they will do it, what results they will generate, how they will know whether they are successful, and how they will resolve conflicts.

Good deals produce the results the parties intend, based upon their respective goals and objectives. Too often, deals are negotiated generically, starting with a form contract proposed by one of the parties, with little attention to important details beyond deliverables and pricing.

For a highly productive business relationship, a good place to start is with a sound process for developing a sound understanding great deal points, which begins with assessing and building compatibility, alignment and performance ("CAP").​