Somebody has to monitor performance. It may not be you. At a minimum there should be a monitoring mechanism that is commensurate with the expectation of performance, and as the negotiator, you may want to check in periodically on any challenges that arise in implementation.
The degree of monitoring depends on your experience with the other side, complexity of performance, newness of the product/service, criticality of timing, etc. Monitoring performance, done in the right way, can continue the process of building trust as issues are flagged early and solutions negotiated with the same (or even better) collaboration as the original agreement.
Monitoring should be done in a way that was agreed to in the agreement, and always in the least intrusive but most effective way:
- Monitoring can be more informal with what seem to the other side to be random and casual check-ups; they should be well planned by you so you don’t forget to do this.
- Per specified procedures of review and for reporting.
- Personal visits, random or scheduled. Face time is more likely to build the relationship and solve issues before they create performance obstacles.
- Stay alert. Listen for things about a company or its lead negotiator as you go about other negotiations.