Forrester Wave™ Vendor Review Policy

Prior to a Forrester Wave™ publication, Forrester gives participating vendors to an opportunity to examine our findings. After concluding the initial research, the analyst scores each vendor offering relative to the others in the evaluation. Participating vendors may provide a limited amount of feedback on their scorecards. Forrester reserves the right to ask vendors to reduce feedback, defer response to a large amount of feedback until after the Wave publishes, or decline responses to feedback. Each vendor also receives a copy of its write-up from the report and its categorization on the Forrester Wave graphic during this period.

We recognize that there may be times during the review process when a participating vendor may want to escalate feedback to a manager at Forrester. We are committed to following the evaluation process and methodology correctly and fairly.

Escalations are not automatically accepted, and Forrester reserves the right to decline escalations. Forrester will not consider escalations when they:

• Are based on criteria scales or weightings. The Forrester Wave™ uses criteria, scales, and weightings to express our analysts’ expert opinions about what should matter most to enterprise buyers in that category. Disagreements about scores have to do with the facts. Disagreements about criteria, scales, and weightings are a matter of opinion.
• Dispute customer feedback. We use customer feedback in scoring certain criteria and for determining the vendor’s marker on the Wave graphic. We do not consider escalations which dispute our interpretation of that feedback.
• Occur outside of the fact-check and scorecard review phase. We don’t allow escalations during the courtesy preview period; at that point, the research is complete and not subject to further revisions.
• Center on vendor concerns about other vendors. We do not consider escalations related to how other vendors in the evaluation scored or placed on the graphic.
• Come from a vendor that did not fully participate in the research. For more information, see The Forrester Wave™ Vendor Participation Policy.
• Ask Forrester to violate its own methodology. For example, we will not consider requests from a vendor to be removed from an evaluation.

When appropriate, vendors can escalate their concerns along the following path:

1. The research director (RD). If a disagreement between the analyst and the vendor arises during a Forrester Wave™ and cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of both parties, the vendor may escalate the issue to the research director responsible for that Forrester Wave.
2. The group director (GD) and Wave Center of Excellence (WCoE). If disagreement remains after the initial escalation, a vendor may then request an escalation to the GD and WCOE. The GD and WCoE will decide whether the disagreement warrants further action. If the escalation call is accepted, it will include the GD, a member of the WCoE, the RD, the analyst(s), and project manager. Escalations at this level focus on process, fairness, or methodology concerns. Forrester may also decline the escalation request, in which case, we will consider the research final.

Forrester strives to treat all vendors equally during the Wave process, regardless of a vendor’s commercial relationship with Forrester. It is Forrester’s policy, for the sake of the integrity and fairness of the Forrester Wave process to all participating vendors, that Forrester’s C-level executives, account managers, and other employees not mentioned above will refrain from becoming involved in the overall Wave process, including escalations. If contacted by a vendor with a request, they will redirect the communication back to the research team responsible for the Forrester Wave in question.

Forrester expects both vendors and research teams to act professionally throughout the research process. We reserve the right to decline to accept information from a vendor or allow them to participate in the review process if that vendor has previously provided false or misleading information. We will also decline further interaction with a vendor if its representatives direct abusive or demeaning language toward Forrester employees in any written or verbal communication.