---
id: "action-audit-contract-history"
type: "action-item"
source_timestamps: ["§ Don't Negotiate Every Material Issue"]
tags: ["analytics", "risk-management"]
related: ["concept-market-standard-default", "contrarian-fewer-issues"]
action: "Analyze past contracts to identify low-variance issues and default them to market-standard terms."
outcome: "Frees up negotiation time, energy, and goodwill for high-impact issues without increasing overall portfolio risk."
speakers: ["Danny Ertel"]
sources: ["ecosystem"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-ecosystem"
originDay: 11
articleStem: "hbr-nm-103-big-companies-negotiate-deals"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/01/why-big-companies-struggle-to-negotiate-great-deals"
sourceTitle: "Why Big Companies Struggle to Negotiate Great Deals"
---
# Audit Contract History for Variance

**Action:** Analyze previous deals to determine how much outcomes on specific issues actually vary. Use this data to decide *in advance* which issues to negotiate vigorously and which to resolve quickly at market terms. Manage risk at the **portfolio level** rather than fighting for 'better than market' terms on every individual contract.

**Expected outcome:** Frees up negotiation time, energy, and goodwill for high-impact issues without increasing overall portfolio risk.

This is the analytic engine behind [[concept-market-standard-default]] and the contrarian stance [[contrarian-fewer-issues]]. It presupposes an understanding of [[prereq-zero-sum-vs-value-creation|distributive vs. integrative negotiation]].