A 12-15 month, event-anchored M&A integration playbook synthesising McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Deloitte, EY, and PwC PMI methodologies plus T2D3 proprietary IP for $25M-$250M ARR B2B SaaS acquirers running tuck-in or mid-sized acquisitions. Stands up the IMO charter, decomposes the deal thesis into OKRs, executes 8 functional workstreams (Finance / IT / HR / Legal / GTM / Product / CS / Facilities) under a single Integration Management Office, delivers Day 1 readiness with zero customer or payroll incidents, hits Day 30 stabilization, Day 100 operating-model cutover, and Day 365 synergy capture (>=50% public synergy run-rate, >=85% top-talent retention, <=3% Top-100 customer churn). Reference methodology: https://www.mergerintegration.com/. Total scope: 8 modules, 37 sections, 224 tasks, ~2310 hours canonical effort across the 12-15 month engagement (4-6 FTE-equivalents at peak). Wave 2 playbook with cross-references to upstream pricing-packaging and sales-methodology playbook artifacts. Scoped to tuck_in and mid_sized acquisitions; merger-of-equals deals routed to forthcoming ma-merger-of-equals v2 playbook per Decision 5.
Stand up the institutional spine of the integration before Day 1. Without an IMO charter signed by both CEOs, an Integration Thesis mapped to OKRs, and clean-team synergy validation, every downstream workstream operates without authority. Section deliverables: charter, OKR map, workstream charters, clean-team output, retention pool, base risk register. T2D3 stage T2/D1; STOP Standardize.
Stand up the Integration Management Office: charter, director appointment, decision-rights matrix, cadence design, tooling stack. Without an IMO charter signed by both CEOs, every downstream workstream operates without authority.
Author IMO Charter (mission, mandate, scope, decision rights)
Author the IMO Charter - the institutional constitution that grants authority, sets boundaries, and defines success. Per Umbrex IMO governance (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/), the charter must include: (1) mission anchor sentence (capture $X net synergies by [date] while maintaining customer NPS above pre-deal levels), (2) decision authority (unilateral spend up to threshold, e.g. $5M; above-threshold escalation), (3) workstream taxonomy explicitly enumerated with carve-outs, (4) decision-rights/RACI mapping single-point accountability per category, (5) cadence (15-min daily huddles -> weekly RAG -> bi-weekly risk -> monthly steering -> quarterly external), (6) severity-based SLAs (P0/P1/P2/P3), (7) sunset criteria. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/integration-management-office-imo-charter.
Ratify charter - both CEOs sign
Schedule a 60-minute joint executive session for both CEOs + Board chairs to review and sign the charter. Critical: do not ratify by email. The charter is the political contract between acquirer and target leadership; treat the signing as a ceremony with witnesses to make the commitments durable. Reference BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf) on charter-as-political-document.
Appoint IMO Director (CHRO-eq independence)
Appoint a senior IMO Director with cross-functional credibility (typically a CHRO-equivalent, COO direct report, or external consultant on retainer). Per Burnie Group IMO structure (https://burniegroup.com/integration-management-office/), the IMO Director must have (a) independent reporting line to CEO/Steering Committee, (b) authority to override workstream leads on matters of integration sequencing, (c) sufficient seniority that workstream leads cannot ignore.
Build decision-rights / RACI matrix
Build the decision-rights / RACI matrix per Umbrex governance principles (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/): single-point accountability per category. CFO owns capital allocation; CHRO owns workforce moves; CIO owns system cutovers; CRO owns customer ownership; GC owns regulatory/contracting. Codify the 20% of choices that drive 80% of value. Use subsidiarity-with-safeguards: push decisions low with pre-set escalation triggers (dollar thresholds, customer impact, regulatory exposure).
Design IMO cadence (daily / weekly / monthly / quarterly)
Design the operating cadence: daily 15-min huddle (red-status scan), weekly 60-min RAG review (3-slide workstream pack: status / synergy variance / top-3 risks), bi-weekly risk & compliance clinic, monthly Steering Committee, quarterly external stakeholder call. Per Umbrex IMO governance (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/), Day-30 and Day-90 calendar adjustments are scheduled to optimize meeting frequency as volatility subsides.
Select tooling stack (issue tracker, dashboard, doc repo)
Select the tooling stack: central issue tracker (capturing severity, timestamp, owner, root-cause hypothesis, mitigation steps, closure - no spreadsheet workarounds permitted per https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/); synergy dashboard; doc repo with permissions; comms broadcast. Default stack: T2D3 OS for module/section/task tracking; Asana or Jira for workstream tasks; Confluence/Notion for docs; Slack for comms.
Dry-run cadence simulation (Day -30)
Run a 60-minute simulation of the IMO cadence at Day -30 with workstream leads present to (a) test that meetings produce decisions, (b) verify dashboards work, (c) calibrate escalation paths. Per BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf), the dry-run is the difference between real PMOs and theatrical ones.
Stand up IMO team (PMO, analysts, change mgmt)
Stand up the IMO team: 1 IMO Director, 2-4 Program Managers, 1 Data Analyst, 1 Change-Management Specialist (typical staffing per https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/). Total FTE 4-6 for a $50M ARR target; up to 10 for a $250M target. Define org chart, reporting lines, performance reviews.
Author board-update / steering-committee pack template
Author the steering-committee pack template + monthly board-update template. Per BCG strategic initiative management (https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/learning/thought-leadership/bcg-strategic-initiative-management.pdf?rev=492c4fdbeaee443b8ec8d58b6df5e398), the board update is the strategic-level political artifact - five categories: synergy realisation vs target, integration cost burn, top-talent retention, customer NPS delta, top-3 risks.
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP layer. Decompose the public deal thesis into discrete commitments, map each to O1/O2 objectives, translate every synergy item into a Key Result with quantitative target + date + named owner. The political contract converted to an audit-ready synergy-capture system.
Decompose public deal thesis into discrete commitments
Decompose the public deal thesis (the version the board, investors, and regulators saw at sign) into discrete commitments. Per McKinsey's framework (https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/where-mergers-go-wrong), 42% of due diligence fails to provide an adequate roadmap - this task closes that gap. Components: revenue synergies (cross-sell, up-sell, new-channel access), cost synergies (redundancy, vendor consolidation, real-estate), capability synergies (talent, IP, tech-stack), capital synergies (working capital, tax). Output: each commitment as a row in the master thesis spreadsheet.
Map each commitment to an O1 / O2 objective
Map each commitment to either O1 (capture deal-thesis value) or O2 (hold the base). Critical: the target's continuing-customer base lives in O2; stable is a non-trivial commitment. Apply the DealRoom synergy types framework (https://dealroom.net/blog/types-of-synergies-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-with-examples) - separate revenue / cost / financial synergies.
Confirm 8-workstream taxonomy (Finance/IT/HR/Legal/GTM/Product/CS/Facilities), appoint named workstream leads, author per-workstream charter template, complete all 8 charters, map cross-stream dependencies, compile master Day-1 mandatories.
Confirm 8-workstream taxonomy (Finance/IT/HR/Legal/GTM/Product/CS/Facilities)
Confirm the 8-workstream taxonomy synthesised from Deloitte / BCG / Bain composites: Finance, IT & Data, HR & People, Legal & Compliance, GTM (Sales/Marketing/CS), Product/R&D, Customer Success, Facilities. Validate against deal characteristics - for very-small tuck-ins, collapse Facilities into Operations. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/services/consulting/articles/mergers-acquisitions-integration-plan-checklist.html.
Appoint named lead per workstream
Appoint a named lead per workstream - must be a senior decision-maker with authority over the function in the combined org. Per BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf), workstream leads MUST be permanent (not consultants) - consultants can advise but cannot own. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-day-1 for typical workstream-lead seniority benchmarks.
Author per-workstream charter template
Author the per-workstream charter template. Components: scope, Day 1 mandatories, Day 30 / 100 / 365 deliverables, named lead, FTE allocation, dependencies, escalation path, KR linkage. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/develop-integration-plan.
Stand up clean team under legal firewall, transfer data room to IMO knowledge base, validate cost and revenue synergies bottoms-up, run customer overlap analysis (Top-100), run tech-stack overlap analysis. Gated to mid-sized+ deals or where customer.has_clean_team is true.
Stand up clean team under legal firewall
Stand up the clean team - a small group of analysts (acquirer + target + neutral consultants) under a legal firewall who can analyse competitively-sensitive data pre-close without violating antitrust rules. Per BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf), the clean team is the only PMI artifact allowed to see both companies' customer-level financials before close.
Transfer data room -> IMO knowledge base
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - data-room-to-IMO knowledge transfer. Transfer relevant due-diligence findings from data room (legal repository) to IMO knowledge base (operational repository). Critical: legal team gates which materials can transfer (HSR clearances, materiality thresholds). Index materials by workstream so each lead sees exactly what they need. Reference https://www.macouncil.org/ma-risk-assessment-highly-confidential.
Bottoms-up cost synergy validation
Validate cost-synergy commitments via bottoms-up workstream-lead estimates. Per McKinsey's framework, cost synergies are typically capturable at 50% in Year 1 (https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies). Workstream leads source-by-source: vendor consolidation savings, redundant FTE elimination, real-estate consolidation, software-license rationalisation.
Identify ~2% critical talent (talent-to-value), size retention bonus pool against deal value, design retention bonus structure (T2D3 IP), author severance protocol, plan retention conversations Day 1 -> Day 30. Mid-sized+ deals require formal retention pool.
Talent-to-value exercise - identify ~2% critical talent
Per McKinsey: Retain, integrate, thrive (https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions), have leaders from both companies plus HR partners nominate ~2% of workforce as critical talent - pivotal-role holders, top performers, high-potential individuals. Senior-leader review (CEO + CHRO + CFO + IMO Director) refines the list based on each person's impact and likelihood of leaving. The 2% rule is a discipline against pool inflation.
Size retention-bonus pool against deal value
Per Pearl Meyer retention pools (https://pearlmeyer.com/insights-and-research/article/sizing-up-retention-and-transaction-bonus-pools), size the retention pool at 1-3% of deal value for tuck-ins; 0.5-2% for mid-sized. Allocate against named individuals (NOT roles) - pool inflation is a top failure mode per McKinsey.
Design retention-bonus structure (lump / milestone / installment)
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - retention bonus design framework. Design bonus structure per role criticality: lump-sum (immediate motivation; ~25% of base for non-critical), milestone-based (50-75% of base over 12-18 months tied to specific milestones - Day 100, Day 365, post-launch), installment (continuous; 100% of base over 24 months). Per Aaron Hall (https://aaronhall.com/how-to-structure-retention-bonuses-in-ma-deals/) and Heritage Law (https://www.heritagelawwi.com/handling-key-employees-and-retention-bonuses-in-m-a), ensure clear documentation, milestones tied to business outcomes (not just attendance), legal review for clawback provisions.
Ensure the legal-and-operational handover is boring - no payroll incidents, no IT outages, no customer surprises. Day 1 KPI is 100% mandatories ready, top-100 customers contacted within 24h, 0 critical incidents. T2D3 stage T2/D1; STOP Templatize.
Confirm Legal Day 1 (regulatory clearances + close mechanics), define Operational Day 1 (same date or staged), Day-3 readiness check, Day-1 final rehearsal (war-room test). Sign-off section.
Confirm Legal Day 1 (regulatory clearances + close mechanics)
Confirm Legal Day 1 - the day legal ownership transfers. Per https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-day-1, Legal Day 1 is when the deal closes and ownership is transferred; this is gated by regulatory clearance (HSR, FTC, foreign equivalents) and signing mechanics (escrow release, share certificate transfer).
Define Operational Day 1 (vs Legal - same date or staged)
Define Operational Day 1 - the day combined operations begin under one operating model. May be the same date as Legal Day 1, or staged (e.g. Legal Day 1 = Friday; Operational Day 1 = Monday for system-cutover stability). Decision lives with CIO + COO; impact on every workstream's mandatories list. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-day-1 for the staged-cutover pattern.
Day -3 readiness check (FTC clearance, signing path)
Day -3 readiness check: regulatory clearance status (FTC approval received, foreign clearances in hand, no active second-request from antitrust agencies). Reference Adobe-Figma case (https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2022/adobe-to-acquire-figma) - regulatory clearance is a deal-existential risk.
Day -1 final rehearsal (war-room test)
Day -1 war-room rehearsal. Walk through the Day 1 run-of-show with all workstream leads physically present (or video) - identify any last-mile gaps. Per BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf), the rehearsal is the difference between aspirational PMI and operational PMI.
Each of 5 functional workstreams (Finance, IT, HR, Legal, GTM) confirms its Day-1 mandatories list as GREEN before Steering Committee approves close-execution. Closes with Deloitte-style Day One certification per workstream.
Finance Day-1 mandatories (cash controls, signing authority)
Finance Day-1 mandatories per https://nmsconsulting.com/post-merger-integration-checklist-day-1-to-day-100/: cash controls (treasury access, payment approvals), signing authority matrix (who can authorise which spend amounts), banking continuity (no payment disruption). Combined-co cash position confirmed pre-Day 1; AR/AP visible to acquirer CFO.
IT Day-1 mandatories (IAM, SSO bridge, break-glass)
IT Day-1 mandatories per https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-day-1 (50+ tasks): identity & access management for all employees (combined directory or SSO bridge), break-glass admin procedures documented, critical-application inventory frozen, security incident response coordinated. Critical: Day 1 is NOT cutover - Day 1 is continuity.
HR Day-1 mandatories (payroll, benefits, org chart)
HR Day-1 mandatories: payroll continues uninterrupted (especially if pay date falls in Day 1 week), benefits eligibility confirmed, org chart published with interim reporting lines, badging/access for combined-co employees. Per https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-day-1 - 36 HR workstreams + 200 actions.
Author the full Day-1 comms kit: employee FAQ (75-question template, T2D3 IP), customer Day-1 email + FAQ, partner email, press kit, manager talking points + reverse Q&A, Day-1 welcome packet, mailbox / hotline staffing.
Author employee FAQ (75-question template)
Author the employee FAQ - typical template is a 16-page document with 75 employee FAQs per https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-communications. Coverage: what is happening, why, what stays the same, what changes (jobs, comp, benefits, reporting lines, location), where questions go. Pain-Claim-Gain structure: empathy (Pain) -> certainty (Claim) -> outcome (Gain).
Customer Day-1 email + FAQ
Customer Day-1 email + FAQ. Per DealRoom communications plan (https://dealroom.net/blog/building-a-communications-plan-from-scratch), the customer email should be <=200 words: opening hook, what changes (or critically, nothing changes for you today), where to direct questions, signed by combined-co CEO. FAQ covers billing, support, account ownership, product roadmap continuity, contract terms.
Partner Day-1 email
Partner Day-1 email - channel partners, tech-integration partners, services partners. Distinct from customer email because partners have contractual relationships requiring change-of-control acknowledgement. Reference https://dealroom.net/blog/building-a-communications-plan-from-scratch for partner-comms framing.
Hour-by-hour run-of-show, war-room staffing, P0 incident protocol, Day-1 pulse check (employee + customer signal). Pre-cutover sign-off + Day-1 governance section.
Author Day-1 run-of-show (hour-by-hour)
Hour-by-hour run-of-show: 09:00 announcement -> 09:30 all-hands -> 10:00 customer email blast -> 10:30 partner emails -> 11:00 press release embargo lifts -> 12:00 Top-100 phone outreach -> 14:00 first IMO huddle -> 17:00 Day-1 pulse check. Per DealRoom communications plan (https://dealroom.net/blog/building-a-communications-plan-from-scratch).
War-room staffing (Day 1 + Day 2)
Staff war-room with workstream leads + IMO Director for Day 1 + Day 2 (continuous physical or video presence). Roles: incident commander, comms lead, customer-escalation lead. Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf for war-room operating model.
Incident protocol (P0 outage / customer escalation)
P0 incident protocol: outage / customer escalation / regulatory query. Severity-based SLA per Umbrex IMO (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) - P0 triage 15min / resolution 6h / CEO notified automatically; P1 triage 1h / resolution 24h / Steering briefed daily.
Execute per-function integration in coordinated parallel under the IMO's authority. M3 has 8 sections - one per function - and is the largest module. GTM section explicitly cross-references upstream playbooks pricing-packaging (for tier rationalisation, discount governance, billing migration) and sales-methodology (for MEDDPICC reconciliation and Command-of-the-Message harmonisation). T2D3 stage T2/D1; STOP Templatize -> Optimize.
Combined close calendar, chart-of-accounts mapping, ERP cutover plan, revenue recognition harmonisation, treasury consolidation, AR/AP cutover, tax structure review, audit alignment, finance org design, budget rebuild, finance systems rationalisation.
Author combined close calendar (monthly + quarterly + yearly)
Author the combined-co close calendar - monthly close, quarterly close, year-end close - merging acquirer + target close conventions. Critical: combined month-close on the new ERP is a Day-100 milestone (not Day-1). Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies for finance-integration sequencing.
Chart-of-accounts mapping (target -> acquirer schema)
Map target's chart-of-accounts to acquirer's schema. Drive systematic line-item reconciliation; flag exceptions. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies for COA harmonisation patterns. The COA map underpins ERP cutover and unified financial reporting.
ERP cutover plan (target -> acquirer or unified)
Author the ERP cutover plan: target customers transition to acquirer's ERP (or both migrate to unified system). Critical: ERP cutover gates billing, AR/AP, treasury, and revenue recognition. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Subject to deal_type gate - tuck-ins typically absorb directly.
Harmonise revenue recognition policy (ASC 606)
Harmonise revenue recognition policy across acquirer + target under ASC 606. Identify and reconcile differences in performance-obligation identification, transaction-price allocation, recognition timing. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies for recognition-policy alignment patterns.
Treasury / banking consolidation
Consolidate treasury operations: banking relationships, cash sweeps, FX hedging, working capital management. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies for treasury-consolidation playbooks.
AR/AP cutover with no payment-disruption window
Cut over AR/AP from target to acquirer (or unified system) with zero payment-disruption window. Validate vendor + customer master data; reconcile open AR/AP balances; coordinate with treasury. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies.
Combined tax structure review (entity-level optimisation)
Review combined tax structure: entity-level optimisation (stepped-up basis, NOLs, transfer pricing, intercompany IP licensing). For cross-border deals, flag GILTI / Pillar Two impact. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies for tax-synergy capture patterns.
Combined-co audit alignment (auditor selection, schedule)
Align audit operations: select combined-co auditor (incumbent or RFP), set audit schedule, harmonise control documentation. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies.
Finance team org design (combined CFO org chart)
Design combined finance team org chart: CFO direct reports, FP&A, controllership, treasury, tax, internal audit. Apply Syntropy job-family taxonomy (Engineer for systems / FP&A; Navigator for controllership / strategic finance). Reference https://www.t2d3.pro/about.
Combined annual budget rebuild
Rebuild combined-co annual budget: revenue, OpEx, CapEx, headcount. Cross-validate against synergy thesis; flag variance from top-down targets. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies.
Finance-systems rationalisation (FP&A, BI, treasury tools)
Rationalise finance-systems stack: FP&A platform (Anaplan / Adaptive / Pigment), BI platform (Tableau / PowerBI / Looker), treasury tooling. Apply keep / consolidate / retire framework. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Application inventory + rationalisation, IAM/SSO unification, data platform integration, IT cutover runbook (T2D3 IP), security posture alignment, network/VPN bridge, collaboration tools merge, endpoint/MDM merge, IT vendor consolidation, IT org design, cybersecurity incident response, combined CMDB.
Application inventory + rationalisation (keep/consolidate/retire)
Build combined application inventory and apply keep / consolidate / retire framework. $50M ARR target typically has 60-120 SaaS apps; combined entity surfaces 30-50% redundancy. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation and https://www.flexera.com/solutions/saas-spend/application-rationalization.
IAM / SSO directory unification
Unify identity & access management: combined directory (Azure AD / Okta / Google Workspace), SSO bridge, group-based access policies, MFA enforcement. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Data-platform integration sequencing (warehouse, lakehouse)
Sequence data-platform integration: warehouse (Snowflake / Databricks / BigQuery), lakehouse, ETL/ELT, BI semantic layer. Coordinate with finance-systems rationalisation. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Org design Band 3+, Syntropy job-family redundancy decisions (T2D3 IP), payroll cutover, benefits harmonisation, comp-plan harmonisation rubric (T2D3 IP), equity treatment, HRIS merge, policy handbook merge, onboarding harmonisation, performance-management process merge.
Org design Band 3+ (VP and above)
Design combined-co org structure for Band 3+ (VP and above): named leaders per function, reporting lines, scope of accountability. Apply Syntropy job-family taxonomy (Scribes / Sculptors / Engineers / Navigators). Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions.
Syntropy job-family redundancy decisions (T2D3 IP)
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - Syntropy job-family taxonomy applied to redundancy decisions. Apply the Syntropy job-family taxonomy (Scribes for content/comms, Sculptors for design/CRO, Engineers for systems/RevOps, Navigators for strategy/leadership) to identify redundancies across acquirer + target. Within each family, use Syntropy level + scope + accountability model to determine which roles overlap. This avoids the failure mode where org design defaults to acquirer's titles even when target has more capable people. https://www.t2d3.pro/about.
Payroll cutover (no missed pay date)
Change-of-control vendor + customer contract review, IP transfer, regulatory notifications, litigation/claims inventory, data-privacy policy merge (GDPR/CCPA), MSA template harmonisation, export-control / sanctions screening for combined entity.
Change-of-control vendor contract review
Review change-of-control clauses in vendor / supplier contracts. Identify clauses that trigger upon close (consent rights, termination rights, repricing). Solicit consents pre-close; renegotiate post-close. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf.
Change-of-control customer contract review
Review change-of-control clauses in customer contracts. Identify Top-100 customers with COC clauses; solicit acknowledgements / waivers as needed. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf.
IP transfer (patents, trademarks, copyrights)
Transfer intellectual property: patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets. File transfer documents with relevant IP offices. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf.
Top-100 customer list with risk score, exec sponsor assignment, Day-1 Top-100 comms, 30-day check-in cadence, NPS/churn tracking, territory/quota redesign, pricing harmonisation (cross-ref pricing-packaging), discount governance merge, billing-system harmonisation runbook (T2D3 IP), brand decision tree (T2D3 IP), domain decision, cross-sell motion design, MEDDPICC reconciliation (cross-ref sales-methodology), Command-of-the-Message reconciliation, marketing tech stack merge, customer-comms decision tree (T2D3 IP), sales enablement + cert program, RevOps tooling merge.
Build Top-100 combined-co customer list with risk score
Build the Top-100 combined-co customer list. Per Bain: Keeping customers first (https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/), Top-100 risk score has 4 dimensions: revenue concentration, contract renewal date proximity, NPS / health signal, change-of-control clause sensitivity. Per Software Equity customer churn analysis (https://softwareequity.com/blog/customer-churn-analysis/), customer churn signals must be operationalised pre-Day-1.
Assign named exec sponsor per Top-100
Assign a named exec sponsor (CRO / CEO / VP Sales / VP CS) per Top-100 customer. Critical: every Top-100 must have a single accountable face within 24 hours of close. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/.
Roadmap rationalisation (combined-co priorities), tech architecture decision, engineering org structure, shared platform decisions (auth/analytics/payments), product feature overlap analysis (sunset/merge/co-exist), PM process merge, research/UX function merge, design system merge.
Roadmap rationalisation (combined-co priorities)
Rationalise combined-co product roadmap. Score each acquirer + target initiative against combined-co priorities; resolve conflicts. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/post-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Technical architecture decision (target -> acquirer or unified)
Decide technical architecture path: target codebase migrated to acquirer / acquirer migrated to target / unified greenfield. Map dependency, risk, effort. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Engineering org structure (combined CTO org chart)
Design combined engineering org: CTO direct reports, platform / product / infra / security teams. Apply Syntropy job-family taxonomy. Reference https://www.t2d3.pro/about. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
CS team merge, support tooling decision, support tier harmonisation (response SLA, severity), CS playbook merge (onboarding/EBR/renewal), renewal process merge, NPS survey harmonisation, customer health score merge, combined CS KPI dashboard.
CS team merge (named owners per book)
Merge customer success teams: named CSM owner per customer book, scope of accountability, escalation path. Apply Syntropy job-family taxonomy. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/.
Support tooling decision (Zendesk / Intercom / unified)
Decide support tooling path: Zendesk / Intercom / unified. Coordinate with marketing-tech merge. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Support tier harmonisation (response SLA, severity)
Harmonise support tiers: P0/P1/P2/P3 severity definitions, response SLAs by customer tier. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Site rationalisation (close/consolidate/keep), lease decisions (terminate/sublet/renegotiate), combined-co signage and badging, remote/hybrid policy merge, equipment and asset transfer. Gated when target has physical offices.
Site rationalisation (close / consolidate / keep)
Rationalise sites: close / consolidate / keep based on combined-co headcount + lease terms. Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Lease decision (terminate / sublet / renegotiate)
Per-site lease decision: terminate (early-termination cost vs ongoing rent), sublet (market terms), renegotiate (combined footprint leverage). Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf.
Combined-co signage + badging
Update signage and badging per brand decision: building signs, internal wayfinding, badges. Reference https://www.walkersands.com/about/blog/brand-architecture-considerations-for-acquisitions/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Absorb shocks from Day 1, lock in operating rhythm, prevent silent regressions. Day 30 KPIs: 90% top-talent in seat; 100% Top-100 30-day check-ins completed; cultural pulse survey baseline set; synergy tracker baseline live. T2D3 stage T2/D1; STOP Optimize.
Day-30 RAG review per workstream, Day-30 incident retrospective, Day-30 integration budget burn report, Day-30 board update, Day-30 plan rebaseline. Recurring 30-day cadence section.
Day-30 RAG review per workstream
Day-30 RAG review per workstream - each lead presents status, blockers, asks. Per Bridgepoint Consulting (https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/), Day-30 RAG is the earliest credible signal of integration health.
Day-30 incident retrospective
Day-30 incident retrospective. Aggregate incidents across workstreams; pattern analysis; corrective actions. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
Day-30 integration budget burn report
Day-30 integration budget burn report - actuals vs budget by workstream. Reference https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/.
Day-30 board update
Day-30 board update using the M1 board update template. Five categories: synergy realisation, cost burn, talent, NPS delta, top-3 risks. Reference https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/.
Day-30 plan rebaseline (where reality diverges)
Day-30 plan rebaseline. Where reality diverges from plan, propose adjustments to Steering. Reference https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/.
Conduct 30-day check-ins for all Top-100 (CSM-led 30-min calls; agenda: how's the integration landing, any concerns, what would you change). NPS delta measurement (baseline vs Day-30), churn signal review, customer-comms decision-tree messages at Day-7 + Day-30.
Conduct 30-day check-ins for all Top-100
Conduct 30-day check-ins for all Top-100. CSM-led 30-min calls; agenda: how's the integration landing for you, any concerns, what would you change. Each call logged in CRM with health-score update. Per Bain customer first (https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/).
NPS delta measurement (baseline vs Day-30)
Measure NPS delta at Day 30 vs pre-Day-1 baseline. Surface segments where NPS dropped >5 points. Reference https://softwareequity.com/blog/customer-churn-analysis/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Churn signal review (any at-risk Top-100?)
Review churn signals across Top-100: usage drop, support ticket spike, sentiment dip, renewal-date proximity. Trigger save plays for at-risk accounts. Reference https://softwareequity.com/blog/customer-churn-analysis/.
Launch initial cultural pulse survey (Day 14 or 21), analyse pulse survey results (acquirer vs target cohort), cultural fault-line readout to Steering, perception workshops (Bain-style: self/other/assumed). 12 items mapped to Bain three fault lines.
Launch initial cultural pulse survey (Day 14 or 21)
Launch initial cultural pulse survey. 12 items x 2 cohorts (acquirer + target). Items mapped to Bain three fault lines: purpose & values, decision-making norms, working styles. Per Bain cultural integration 2023 (https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/).
Analyse pulse survey results (acquirer vs target cohort)
Analyse pulse survey results - compare acquirer vs target cohort scores; surface fault lines. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Cultural fault-line readout to Steering
Cultural fault-line readout to Steering Committee. Identify top 3 fault lines + interventions. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Build synergy tracker (T2D3 IP - per-KR rows: baseline, target, weekly actual, corrective action, proof link), set baseline run-rate (combined-co Day 30), author corrective-action protocol, stand up proof-link evidence store.
Build synergy tracker (baseline / target / weekly actual)
Build the synergy tracker per McKinsey synergy capture (https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle): per-KR rows with baseline, target, weekly actual, corrective action, proof link. Critical: weekly cadence (not monthly) catches drift early.
Set baseline run-rate (combined-co Day 30)
Set baseline run-rate at Day 30: combined-co revenue, gross margin, OpEx, cash flow. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Author corrective-action protocol (when actuals miss)
Lock in the operating model. Day 100 is when boards expect signal; this module's deliverables are the credible board narrative. KPIs: 20-30% synergy run-rate captured, <=50% integration cost burned, 90%+ critical talent in seat, NPS +/-5 of baseline, cultural index >=3.0/5. T2D3 stage T2/D1/D2; STOP Optimize -> Productize.
Execute ERP cutover, CRM cutover, HRIS cutover, billing cutover, support tooling cutover, Day-100 ops cutover readout. Each cutover follows the IT cutover runbook with dry-runs, validation queries, rollback plan, freeze windows.
Execute ERP cutover
Execute the ERP cutover per the IT cutover runbook. Critical: complete combined month-close on the new ERP for the first time at Month 4. Validation queries run; rollback plan available 7 days post-cutover. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Execute CRM cutover
Execute CRM cutover per IT cutover runbook. Migrate accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities. Validation: no opportunity loss, contact ownership preserved. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Execute HRIS cutover
Execute HRIS cutover per IT cutover runbook. Migrate employee records, benefits enrollments, time off balances. Validation: no payroll disruption. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Execute billing-system cutover
Execute billing-system cutover per the harmonisation runbook. Migrate subscriptions, payment methods, dunning rules. Reference https://www.chargebee.com/blog/stripe-billing-migration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Execute support tooling cutover
Execute support tooling cutover. Migrate tickets, knowledge base, customer histories. Validation: no support disruption. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Day-100 ops cutover readout
Day-100 ops cutover readout to Steering: each cutover status (clean / issues / rollback). Reference https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/.
Synergy capture readout, talent retention scorecard, customer NPS delta, cultural index second pulse, Day-100 board update. The Day-100 board signal sets investor narrative for the rest of Y1. Sign-off section.
Synergy capture readout (Day 100)
Day-100 synergy capture readout: actuals vs target per KR, top variances, corrective actions. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Talent-retention scorecard (Day 100)
Day-100 talent-retention scorecard: critical-talent retention %, regrettable departures, retention-bonus utilisation. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions.
Customer NPS delta (Day 100)
Day-100 customer NPS delta vs baseline. Per-segment + per-tier breakdown. Reference https://softwareequity.com/blog/customer-churn-analysis/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Execute brand decision (rebrand/sub-brand/endorsed), launch combined-co website, update pricing page, refresh marketing collateral, issue Day-100 press release with synergy proof points. Gated on brand decision != preserve.
Execute brand decision (rebrand / sub-brand / endorsed)
Execute the brand decision per the brand decision tree output. Coordinate with website, pricing page, marketing collateral, signage. Reference https://www.walkersands.com/about/blog/brand-architecture-considerations-for-acquisitions/.
Combined-co website launch
Launch combined-co website: home page, product pages, customer story integration, redirects from old domains. Reference https://www.walkersands.com/about/blog/brand-architecture-considerations-for-acquisitions/.
Pricing page update (combined-org tiers)
Update pricing page with combined-org tiers per harmonisation. Reference https://www.hubspot.com/company-news/announcing-upcoming-changes-to-hubspots-pricing. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Launch harmonised comp plans, redesigned quotas + territories, sales certification program, rep-by-rep redline meetings (HR + manager). Mid-sized+ deals require full comp-plan + quota + cert + redline; tuck-ins use abbreviated approach.
Launch harmonised comp plans
Launch harmonised comp plans per the comp-plan harmonisation rubric output. Critical: rep-by-rep redline conversations to be held in parallel (m5-s4-4) so reps know what changes for them personally. Per Alexander Group sales-comp harmonisation (https://www.alexandergroup.com/insights/private-equity-sales-compensation-harmonization-to-unlock-integration-growth/). Cross-ref pricing-packaging.ae-comp-plan-redesign for the canonical comp-plan template.
Launch redesigned quotas + territories
Launch redesigned quotas + territories. Communicate via rep-by-rep redline. Reference https://www.alexandergroup.com/insights/private-equity-sales-compensation-harmonization-to-unlock-integration-growth/.
Launch sales certification program
Launch combined sales certification program. Cohort scheduling, certification tracking, manager sign-off. Reference https://www.alexandergroup.com/insights/private-equity-sales-compensation-harmonization-to-unlock-integration-growth/.
Deliver the deal thesis. Capture >=50% public synergy run-rate by Month 12 (KR1.1). Wind down the IMO into BAU governance - STOP P / Productize. KPIs: synergy >=50%; cultural index >=3.5; talent retention >=85%; integration cost <=6% of deal value. T2D3 stage D1/D2.
Month-12 synergy readout vs deal thesis, validate cost synergies (audit trail), validate revenue synergies (cross-sell pipeline + ARR), integration cost final tally vs budget, investor / public synergy-realisation report.
Month-12 synergy readout (vs deal thesis)
Month-12 synergy readout vs deal thesis. Capture >=50% public synergy run-rate (KR1.1). Per LEK (https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies) - cost synergies typically 50%+ achievable in Y1.
Validate cost synergies (audit trail)
Validate cost synergies with audit-quality proof links. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Validate revenue synergies (cross-sell pipeline + ARR)
Validate revenue synergies: cross-sell pipeline + ARR delta. Per DealRoom (https://dealroom.net/blog/types-of-synergies-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-with-examples) - revenue synergies typically lag at 10-20% Y1.
Integration cost final tally (vs budget)
Integration cost final tally vs budget. Target <=6% of deal value (KR1.4). Reference https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/consulting/deals/library/ma-integration-survey.html for the 6% benchmark. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Investor / public synergy-realisation report
Investor / public synergy-realisation report. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Launch cross-sell motion (combined-org accounts), roll out acquirer products to target customers, roll out target products to acquirer customers, design and launch cross-sell SPIF, build cross-sell pipeline tracking dashboard.
Launch cross-sell motion (combined-org accounts)
Launch cross-sell motion to combined-org accounts. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Roll out acquirer products to target customers
Roll out acquirer products to target customers via combined-org cross-sell. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Roll out target products to acquirer customers
Roll out target products to acquirer customers via combined-org cross-sell. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Check IMO sunset criteria (95% synergies / culture +/-2 points), design BAU governance (post-IMO, T2D3 IP), transfer residual issues to function leads, IMO team redeployment, IMO archives handover. Formal wind-down sign-off section.
Check IMO sunset criteria (95% synergies / culture +/- 2 points)
Check IMO sunset criteria per Umbrex (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/): 95% synergies captured, culture index +/- 2 points of target, no critical Day-365 incidents. Decision to wind-down.
Design BAU governance (post-IMO)
STOP P / Productize move. Design BAU governance that persists beyond the IMO. Critical: don't dissolve the IMO without naming the successor governance - per Umbrex IMO governance (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/), the sunset criteria define the trigger but BAU governance is the destination. Steering Committee converts to combined-co Operating Committee; cross-functional issue resolution falls back to function heads with COO escalation.
Transfer residual issues from IMO to function leads
Transfer residual integration issues from IMO to function leads. Hand-off log + acceptance signature per issue. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
Workstream-lead retrospectives (8 x 2h), lessons-learned document for next deal, template updates (charter, runbook, decision tree). Roll-up / synthesis section.
Workstream-lead retrospectives (8 x 2h)
Run 8 workstream-lead retrospectives (one per workstream, 2h each). What worked, what did not, what to change next time. Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Lessons-learned document for next deal
Synthesise workstream retros into a lessons-learned document for the next deal. Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Author Year-1 deal-thesis-vs-reality narrative, Year-1 board deck (synergy / talent / customer / culture), Year-1 board session (90-min), investor / public Year-1 narrative. Final board-level sign-off section.
Author Year-1 deal-thesis-vs-reality narrative
Author the Year-1 deal-thesis-vs-reality narrative. Honest assessment: what was promised, what was delivered, what was learned. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Year-1 board deck (synergy / talent / customer / culture)
Year-1 board deck: synergy realisation, talent retention, customer NPS, cultural index, integration cost, lessons learned. Reference https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/.
Year-1 board session (90-min)
Year-1 board session (90 min). CEO + CFO + CHRO + CRO + IMO Director present. Reference https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/.
Hold the cultural-integration index >=3.5/5 by Month 12 (KR2.3). Apply Pain-Claim-Gain to employee narrative and customer comms. McKinsey 7S diagnostic at 90 days. T2D3 stage T2/D1; STOP Standardize -> Optimize.
Articulate employee Pain (uncertainty, identity, comp), author Claim (commitments to skills, comp, role), author Gain (combined-co growth, opportunity, mission), roll out narrative on Day 1 / 30 / 100 / 365 cadence, coach managers on PCG narrative use.
Articulate employee Pain (uncertainty, identity, comp)
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - Pain-Claim-Gain employee narrative. Articulate the employee Pain. Common pains: uncertainty about job/role/comp/manager, loss of cultural identity, fear of commute or RTO change, anxiety about new tooling. Surface authentically - do not minimise. Per McKinsey M&A talent (https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions): empathy + consistency + acknowledgment that employees' skills/insights matter.
Author Claim (what we commit to)
Author employee Claim: what combined-co commits to per Pain dimension. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions.
Author Gain (what employees get from combined-co)
Author employee Gain: what employees get from combined-co (career, learning, scale, mission). Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions.
Roll out narrative (Day 1 / 30 / 100 / 365 cadence)
Roll out PCG employee narrative on Day 1 / 30 / 100 / 365 cadence. CEO all-hands, manager talking points, internal comms. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-communications. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Coach managers on PCG narrative use
Coach managers on using PCG narrative in 1:1s and team meetings. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions.
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP. Design McKinsey 7S diagnostic instrument (12-item x 2-cohort), launch at Day 90, analyse acquirer x target x combined target, author fault-line interventions per Bain three categories, readout to combined leadership team.
Design McKinsey 7S diagnostic instrument
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - 90-day culture diagnostic using McKinsey 7S. Design the 90-day cultural diagnostic. 7S elements: Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Skills, Style, Staff. Layer Bain's three fault lines (purpose & values, decision-making norms, working styles) on top. 12-item x 2-cohort instrument; Likert scale; open-text for fault lines. Per McKinsey 7S Mindtools (https://www.mindtools.com/your-toolkit/strategy-analysis/mckinsey-7s/) and Bain cultural integration 2023 (https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/).
Launch 7S diagnostic at Day 90
Launch 7S diagnostic at Day 90 to combined-co. Target response rate >70%. Reference https://www.mindtools.com/your-toolkit/strategy-analysis/mckinsey-7s/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Articulate customer Pain (disruption, uncertainty, billing change), author Claim (no service disruption, named contact, transparency), author Gain (better product, broader capability, value), roll out customer PCG narrative on Day 1 -> 365 cadence.
Articulate customer Pain (disruption, uncertainty, billing change)
Articulate customer Pain in PCG framework: disruption, uncertainty, billing change, account ownership. Per Bain (https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/). Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Author Claim (what we commit to customers)
Author customer Claim: no service disruption, named contact, transparent comms, contract continuity. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Engagement survey cadence (Day 14 / 60 / 180 / 365), pulse tracker dashboard (combined-co), stand up integration ambassador program, monitor cultural fault lines monthly. Recurring cadence section.
Engagement survey cadence (Day 14 / 60 / 180 / 365)
Engagement survey cadence: Day 14 (initial pulse), Day 60 (post-stabilisation), Day 180 (mid-year), Day 365 (year-end). Per Bain cultural integration (https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/).
Pulse tracker dashboard (combined-co)
Build pulse tracker dashboard for combined-co. Track engagement, eNPS, retention signals over time. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Stand up integration ambassador program
Stand up integration ambassador program per Bain cultural integration (https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/) - frontline employees from both companies who provide unfiltered feedback on integration friction. Typical: 20-40 ambassadors for a $50M ARR target; meet monthly with IMO; surface issues early.
Capture every risk and issue, route to owner, drive to closure. Per Umbrex IMO playbook - central tracker captures severity, timestamp, owner, root-cause hypothesis, mitigation steps, closure. No spreadsheet workarounds permitted. T2D3 stage T2/D1; STOP Templatize -> Productize.
Design register schema (severity, owner, root-cause, closure), configure register tooling (Jira/Asana/native), distinguish risk (not yet) vs issue (occurred), load initial risks from M1 charter + workstream charters, train owners on register use. Recurring risk-log governance.
Design register schema (severity, owner, RC, closure)
Design the register schema per https://www.mergerintegration.com/integration-risk-form-and-risk-log and Umbrex IMO (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/): columns for severity (P0-P3), timestamp, owner, root-cause hypothesis, mitigation steps, closure date, proof link.
Configure register tooling (Jira / Asana / native)
Configure register tooling per the schema design. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Distinguish risk (not yet) vs issue (occurred)
Distinguish risk (not yet occurred, probability + impact) vs issue (already occurred, severity + impact). Different SLAs apply. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/integration-risk-form-and-risk-log.
Load initial risks from M1 charter + workstream charters
Load initial risks from M1 charter + 8 workstream charters. Score each on probability + impact. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/integration-risk-form-and-risk-log. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Train owners on register use
Train risk + issue owners on register use: how to log, update, escalate, close. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
Roll out P0 protocol (15min triage / 6h resolution / CEO auto-notify), P1 protocol (1h triage / 24h resolution / Steering daily), P2/P3 protocol (same-day triage / 5d / monthly batch), author escalation playbook (one-step rule), weekly RAG audit of register.
P0 protocol rollout (15min triage / 6h resolution / CEO auto-notify)
Roll out P0 protocol: 15min triage, 6h resolution target, CEO auto-notification. Per Umbrex IMO (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/).
P1 protocol (1h triage / 24h resolution / Steering daily)
Roll out P1 protocol: 1h triage, 24h resolution target, Steering briefed daily. Per Umbrex IMO (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/).
P2/P3 protocol (same-day triage / 5d / monthly batch)
Roll out P2/P3 protocol: same-day triage, 5-day resolution (P2) / 30-day batch (P3). Per Umbrex IMO (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/).
Author issue-closure criteria (root-cause + remediation + audit), quarterly audit of closed issues, pattern analysis (recurring root causes), handover register to BAU governance at IMO sunset.
Author issue-closure criteria (root-cause + remediation + audit)
Author issue-closure criteria: documented root cause, completed remediation, post-action audit. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/integration-risk-form-and-risk-log. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Quarterly audit of closed issues
Quarterly audit of closed issues: spot-check root-cause documentation, remediation effectiveness, recurrence. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/integration-risk-form-and-risk-log. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Translate each synergy item into a KR with target + date
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - the deal-thesis-to-OKR mapping template. Translate each synergy item into a Key Result with quantitative target + date + named owner. Default targeting: cost synergies - 70% by M9 (LEK benchmark, https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies); revenue synergies - 25% Y1 cross-sell ramp; talent retention - 85% (McKinsey middle of 80-90%); customer churn - <=3% Top-100 incremental (Bain stretch goal).
Establish acquirer T2D3-stage baseline + target
Establish acquirer's T2D3-stage baseline (T1/T2/T3/D1/D2/D3) and target stage. PMI is most common at T2 -> D1 (acquirer scaling beyond organic; tuck-ins to fill capability gaps). The post-PMI stage target shapes the synergy ambition: T2 acquirers target combinational synergies (cost takeouts); D1 acquirers target transformational (cross-sell ramp); D2 acquirers target capability (talent, IP). Reference https://www.t2d3.pro/about for the T2D3 growth-curve framework.
Pressure-test thesis against bottom-up workstream estimates
Bottom-up reconcile each KR against workstream-lead estimates. Per McKinsey's W-shaped synergy approach (https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle): top-down ambition -> bottom-up validation -> final aligned commitment. Workstream leads will typically estimate 60-80% of top-down targets; the gap is the stretch surfaced to Steering.
Stakeholder readout - Steering Committee
Steering Committee readout of the deal-thesis-to-OKR map. 90-min session with both CEOs, CFOs, and Board chair attending. Critical decisions: which commitments are stretch vs commitment vs aspirational; what triggers an escalation; what the Day 100 / Month 6 / Month 12 review looks like. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/where-mergers-go-wrong for the readout structure best-practice.
All 8 workstream charters drafted + signed
Each of the 8 workstream leads drafts and signs their workstream charter (3h per workstream x 8 = 24h aggregate). IMO Director reviews each for quality + dependency alignment. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/develop-integration-plan.
Map cross-stream dependencies (DAG)
Map cross-stream dependencies into a DAG. Critical patterns: Finance close-calendar depends on IT ERP cutover; HR comp-plan depends on GTM territory design; Legal change-of-control reviews block contract harmonisation; CS retention plan depends on GTM customer ownership. Use a simple dependency graph (Confluence / Mermaid / dedicated PMO tool). Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/develop-integration-plan.
Compile master Day-1 Mandatories list across workstreams
Compile master Day-1 Mandatories list across all 8 workstreams. Per https://nmsconsulting.com/day-1-readiness-checklist/ and https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-day-1, there are typically 200-270 named tasks across all workstreams that must be confirmed before close.
Bottoms-up revenue synergy validation
Validate revenue-synergy commitments. Revenue synergies lag - typical Y1 capture is 10-20% per https://dealroom.net/blog/types-of-synergies-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-with-examples. Sources: cross-sell motion ramp (combined-org accounts x ACV uplift x win rate), up-sell to acquired-co customers (acquirer products x ARPU uplift), new-segment access (target's installed base x acquirer ACV), pricing harmonisation (target's pricing -> acquirer's prices, capturing the discount-leakage delta - link to pricing-packaging.discount-governance-policy).
Customer overlap analysis (combined Top-100)
Customer overlap analysis: which combined-org Top-100 customers are both acquirer and target customers? Overlap drives both risk (if dissatisfied, they could churn from both) and opportunity (consolidation expansion). Per Bain (https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/), overlap analysis is a clean-team-only activity until close.
Tech-stack overlap analysis (combined SaaS apps)
Tech-stack overlap analysis: combined inventory of all SaaS apps in use across both companies. Per Zylo platform consolidation (https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation), $50M ARR target typically has 60-120 SaaS apps; combined entity will surface 30-50% redundancy candidates. Categorise: keep / consolidate / retire.
Author severance protocol + Q&A
Author severance protocol + Q&A for non-retained employees. Per SHRM merging compensation (https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/merging-compensation-strategies), severance must be (a) consistent across acquirer/target (no perceived favouritism), (b) compliant with state/country law (especially WARN Act), (c) clear on transition support (outplacement, COBRA, vesting).
Plan retention conversations (Day 1 -> Day 30)
Plan retention conversations - sequence (CEO/CHRO -> manager -> individual), timing (Day 1 conversations within 24h; Day 30 follow-up; Day 90 commitment confirmation), talking points (per https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions: empathy, consistency, employee skills/insights/contributions matter).
Legal Day-1 mandatories (contracting authority, change-of-control filings)
Legal Day-1 mandatories: contracting authority defined (who can sign what), regulatory notifications filed (state-level + foreign), change-of-control reviews initiated for major customer + vendor contracts. Per Gibson Dunn risk management in M&A (https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf).
GTM Day-1 mandatories (customer ownership, sales rules)
GTM Day-1 mandatories per https://nmsconsulting.com/post-merger-integration-checklist-day-1-to-day-100/: every Top-100 customer has a named exec sponsor; Day-1 customer email scheduled for first 4 hours; sales rules clarified (interim discount approval, quoting tools), brand interim guidelines (logos, email signatures, signage).
Deloitte-style "Day One certification" sign-off per workstream
Each workstream lead provides Day One certification (Deloitte-style) sign-off per https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/services/consulting/articles/mergers-acquisitions-integration-plan-checklist.html. Master checklist of mandatories - every line item GREEN before Steering Committee approves close-execution.
Press kit (release, FAQ, exec quotes, logos)
Press kit: release, FAQ, exec quotes, logos, fact sheet, links. Coordinate with both CMOs + IR teams. Per DealRoom communications (https://dealroom.net/blog/building-a-communications-plan-from-scratch), pre-prep approved quotes for 3 narratives: positive (deal thesis), neutral (regulatory clarity), defensive (cultural / talent friction).
Manager talking points + reverse Q&A
Manager talking points + reverse Q&A - what managers say to direct reports + the questions they should expect. Critical: managers are the highest-trust comms channel; arm them with empathy framing per McKinsey M&A talent (https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/retain-integrate-thrive-a-strategy-for-managing-talent-during-m-and-a-transactions).
Day 1 Welcome Packet (CEO note, vision, infographic)
Day 1 Welcome Packet: CEO message, safety overview, basic FAQs, new combined-co infographic, vision, IT access info, swag. Per https://www.mergerintegration.com/m-a-communications, this is the good news complement to the FAQ uncertain news.
Day-1 mailbox / hotline staffing plan
Staff the Day-1 mailbox + hotline per https://nmsconsulting.com/day-1-readiness-checklist/: a mailbox (integration@combinedco.com) and hotline staffed Day 1, monitored hourly first 72h then daily. SLA: <4h response time.
Day-1 pulse check (employee + customer signal)
Day-1 pulse check at 17:00: employee sentiment (5-Q micro-survey), customer signal (Top-100 outreach completion %), incident count, comms-channel volume. Establishes Day-1 baseline. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/ for the pulse-check rationale.
IT cutover runbook (T2D3 IP) - sequencing + dependencies + rollback
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP. Author the comprehensive IT cutover runbook: sequencing (which apps cutover when, in what order), dependency mapping (e.g. CRM cutover blocks marketing-automation cutover; ERP cutover blocks billing cutover), rollback plan (per app, with named rollback owner + decision threshold), freeze windows (no production changes during cutover), validation queries (post-cutover smoke tests), customer-facing impact assessment. Per https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation and https://www.flexera.com/solutions/saas-spend/application-rationalization - typical $50M ARR target has 60-120 SaaS apps; combined entity will surface 30-50% redundancy candidates.
Security posture alignment (SOC2, ISO, HIPAA)
Align security posture: combine SOC2 / ISO 27001 / HIPAA (where applicable) controls, harmonise vulnerability management, align security-incident-response playbooks. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Network / VPN bridge between acquirer + target
Build network / VPN bridge between acquirer + target environments. Define routing rules, firewall policies, segmentation. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Collaboration tools merge (email, Slack/Teams, calendar)
Merge collaboration tools: email (Google Workspace / Microsoft 365), chat (Slack / Teams), calendar. Decision: keep both / migrate one / unified. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Endpoint / MDM merge (laptops, mobile devices)
Merge endpoint and MDM management: laptops (Jamf / Intune / Workspace ONE), mobile devices, kiosks. Apply consistent encryption, patch policy, remote-wipe capability. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
IT vendor consolidation
Consolidate IT vendor relationships: contracts, MSAs, SOWs, support agreements. Drive cost-synergy capture; eliminate duplicate vendors. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
IT team org design (CIO org chart)
Design combined IT team org chart: CIO direct reports, infrastructure, applications, security, data. Apply Syntropy job-family taxonomy. Reference https://www.t2d3.pro/about. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Combined cybersecurity incident response plan
Combined cybersecurity incident response plan: detection, triage, containment, eradication, recovery, lessons learned. Tabletop exercises. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Combined CMDB / asset management
Build combined CMDB / IT asset management: applications, servers, network devices, endpoints. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Execute payroll cutover with zero missed pay-date risk. Critical: pay-date in Day 1 week is high-risk. Coordinate with HRIS merge + benefits. Reference https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/merging-compensation-strategies.
Benefits harmonisation (medical, dental, 401k)
Harmonise benefits: medical / dental / vision / 401k / wellness. Apply optimise-rather-than-harmonize logic per Chief Executive (https://chiefexecutive.net/compensation-programs-after-the-merger-optimize-rather-than-harmonize/). Avoid best-of-both inflation.
Comp-plan harmonisation rubric (T2D3 IP)
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - comp-plan harmonisation rubric. Author the rubric for harmonising compensation across both companies. Per Chief Executive (https://chiefexecutive.net/compensation-programs-after-the-merger-optimize-rather-than-harmonize/) and Pearl Meyer (https://pearlmeyer.com/insights-and-research/blog/compensation-programs-after-the-merger), the rubric scores compensation programs on (a) market-competitiveness, (b) strategic-fit with combined-co, (c) administrative simplicity, (d) employee perception of fairness. Best-of-both rarely wins. For sales comp, link to upstream pricing-packaging.ae-comp-plan-redesign slug.
Equity treatment (acceleration, replacement awards, lock-ups)
Determine equity treatment: vesting acceleration triggers, replacement awards (target equity converted to acquirer equity), lock-ups for retained executives. Reference https://pearlmeyer.com/insights-and-research/article/sizing-up-retention-and-transaction-bonus-pools.
HRIS merge (Workday/Bamboo/Rippling/Gusto)
Merge HRIS: Workday / BambooHR / Rippling / Gusto. Decision: keep both temporarily / migrate target to acquirer / unified. Coordinate with payroll cutover. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Policy handbook merge (PTO, remote, code of conduct)
Merge policy handbooks: PTO, remote/hybrid, code of conduct, expense, travel. Reference https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/merging-compensation-strategies. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Onboarding harmonisation (combined-co experience)
Harmonise new-hire onboarding experience across combined-co. Reference https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/merging-compensation-strategies. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Performance-management process merge
Merge performance-management process: cycle frequency, rating scale, calibration, comp-decision flow. Reference https://pearlmeyer.com/insights-and-research/blog/compensation-programs-after-the-merger.
State/foreign regulatory notifications
File state-level and foreign regulatory notifications post-close. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Combined litigation + claims inventory
Build combined-co litigation + claims inventory. Categorise: ongoing litigation, threatened claims, regulatory inquiries. Reserve appropriately. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf.
Data-privacy policy merge (GDPR, CCPA)
Merge data-privacy policies: GDPR, CCPA, CPRA, state privacy laws. Update privacy notices, DPAs, consent flows. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf.
Master Services Agreement template harmonisation
Harmonise MSA / order form / SOW templates across acquirer + target. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Export-control / sanctions screening (combined entity)
Export-control / sanctions screening for combined entity. ITAR / EAR / OFAC / EU dual-use compliance. Reference https://www.gibsondunn.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/publications/FontenotLoew-RiskManagementinMATransactions.pdf.
Day-1 customer comms (email + call) for Top-100
Day-1 customer comms (email + call) for all Top-100. Per Commerzbank-Dresdner case via Bain (https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/), proactive Top-segment outreach reduced complaints by 30%. Required: 100% Top-100 contacted within 24 hours of close (KR2.4 indirect). Email at 10:00 Day 1; CRO + CEO calls Top 25 personally; AE/CSM calls Top 26-100.
30-day Top-100 check-in cadence
Set up the 30-day Top-100 check-in cadence: CSM-led 30-min call per customer; agenda - how is the integration landing, any concerns, what would you change. Each call logged in CRM with health-score update. Reference Bain customer first (https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/).
NPS delta + churn-signal tracking (RevOps build)
Build NPS delta + churn-signal tracking dashboards (RevOps). Compare baseline (pre-Day-1) NPS to ongoing scores; surface churn signals (usage drop, support tickets, sentiment). Reference https://softwareequity.com/blog/customer-churn-analysis/.
Territory + quota redesign (combined-org coverage)
Redesign territories + quotas for combined-org coverage. Apply Alexander Group sales-comp harmonisation patterns (https://www.alexandergroup.com/insights/private-equity-sales-compensation-harmonization-to-unlock-integration-growth/). Coordinate with comp-plan harmonisation (M3.S3) and rep-by-rep redline (M5.S4).
Pricing harmonisation (cross-ref pricing-packaging.define-v1-packaging-tiers)
CROSS-PLAYBOOK REFERENCE: pricing-packaging.define-v1-packaging-tiers. Harmonise pricing across acquirer + target. Apply the V1 packaging tier spec from upstream pricing-packaging playbook task define-v1-packaging-tiers: same tier ratios (entry 30-40%, mid 40-50%, top 10-20%), same mid-to-entry price ratio (2.5-3.5x), same value-metric. Two harmonisation paths: (a) immediate alignment (target customers re-tiered at next renewal); (b) staged grandfathering (target customers ride current pricing for 12 months, then migrate). Reference HubSpot 2024 pricing changeover (https://www.hubspot.com/company-news/announcing-upcoming-changes-to-hubspots-pricing) as a case study.
Discount governance merge (cross-ref pricing-packaging.discount-governance-policy)
CROSS-PLAYBOOK REFERENCE: pricing-packaging.discount-governance-policy. Merge discount governance across acquirer + target. Apply the upstream pricing-packaging.discount-governance-policy Green/Yellow/Red approval matrix: Green (0-15% rep approval), Yellow (16-30% Head-of-Sales approval, written justification), Red (>30% CFO+CEO approval, gross-margin floor check). Critical: target sales team often has more permissive discount norms; harmonisation must be defended as a strategic choice. Reference Glencoyne enterprise discount approval (https://www.glencoyne.com/guides/enterprise-discount-approval-matrix).
Billing-system harmonisation runbook (T2D3 IP, cross-ref pricing-packaging.billing-migration-runbook)
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP + CROSS-PLAYBOOK REFERENCE: pricing-packaging.billing-migration-runbook. Author the billing-system harmonisation runbook, applying the upstream pricing-packaging.billing-migration-runbook framework to the M&A context. Components: prerequisites checklist, data export from target's billing system, customer mapping, payment-method portability, billing-cycle preservation, proration handling, validation queries, rollback plan, freeze window, cut-over date. Vendor-specific scripts for Stripe / Chargebee / Maxio. Per Chargebee migration guide (https://www.chargebee.com/blog/stripe-billing-migration/) and Stripe migration docs (https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/migrate-subscriptions).
Brand decision tree (T2D3 IP) - preserve / sub-brand / endorsed / merge
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - brand decision tree. Author the brand decision tree: acquire-and-rebrand vs preserve vs sub-brand vs endorsed-brand vs merge-into-master. Decision criteria: (a) target brand standalone equity (revenue size, customer-NPS, recognition), (b) product fit with master brand (similar / adjacent / unrelated), (c) parent's GTM motion (top-down enterprise vs PLG vs hybrid), (d) regulatory considerations. Reference cases: Salesforce-Slack (preserve), Atlassian-Trello (preserve), HubSpot-Clearbit, Datadog tuck-ins (absorb), Microsoft-GitHub, Twilio-SendGrid. Per Walker Sands (https://www.walkersands.com/about/blog/brand-architecture-considerations-for-acquisitions/) and Brand Finance (https://brandfinance.com/insights/rebranding-acquisitions).
Domain + website decision (rebrand timing)
Decide domain + website strategy based on brand decision tree output. Options: keep both domains long-term, redirect target domain, immediate single-domain merge. Coordinate with M5.S3 brand launch. Reference Walker Sands (https://www.walkersands.com/about/blog/brand-architecture-considerations-for-acquisitions/).
Cross-sell motion design (combined-org accounts)
Design cross-sell motion for combined-org accounts: (a) acquirer customers receiving target products, (b) target customers receiving acquirer products. Define playbook, rep training, ICP qualification, opportunity routing. Reference McKinsey synergy capture (https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle).
MEDDPICC reconciliation (cross-ref sales-methodology.meddpicc-qualification-rubric)
CROSS-PLAYBOOK REFERENCE: sales-methodology.meddpicc-qualification-rubric. Reconcile MEDDPICC qualification across acquirer + target sales teams. Apply the upstream sales-methodology.meddpicc-qualification-rubric task - both teams use the same 8-letter scoring rubric, the same CRM field mapping, and the same deal-inspection cadence. Critical: target's qualification practices may be looser; harmonisation must be defended as a strategic choice for forecast accuracy. Per https://meddicc.com/meddpicc-sales-methodology-and-process.
Command-of-the-Message reconciliation (cross-ref sales-methodology.command-of-the-message-map)
CROSS-PLAYBOOK REFERENCE: sales-methodology.command-of-the-message-map. Reconcile the Command-of-the-Message map across both companies' sales narratives. Apply the upstream sales-methodology.command-of-the-message-map task - combine the Persona x Pain x PBO x Required Capability x Differentiator x Proof Point x Metric tables. Per Force Management Value Framework (https://www.forcemanagement.com/blog/what-is-a-value-framework).
Marketing tech stack merge (HubSpot/Marketo/Pardot decision)
Merge marketing tech stack: marketing automation (HubSpot / Marketo / Pardot), CDP, attribution, campaign tooling. Apply keep / consolidate / retire framework. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Customer-comms decision tree (T2D3 IP) - segment -> message -> channel -> timing
T2D3 PROPRIETARY IP - customer-comms decision tree. Author the decision tree: which customer segment hears what, when, via which channel. Tier 1 (Top-100): personal call from CRO/CEO + named-AM + custom email; Tier 2 (101-500): CSM call + segment email + in-product banner; Tier 3 (501+): segment email + in-product banner + on-demand FAQ. Timing: Day 1 (announce) -> Day 7 (FAQ + reassurance) -> Day 30 (operational changes update) -> Day 100 (synergy benefit reveal) -> Day 365 (year-1 retrospective). Per Bain (https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/) and Phoenix Strategy (https://www.phoenixstrategy.group/blog/customer-retention-challenges-post-merger-integration).
Combined sales enablement + certification program
Build combined sales enablement + certification program. Apply Alexander Group sales-comp harmonisation patterns (https://www.alexandergroup.com/insights/private-equity-sales-compensation-harmonization-to-unlock-integration-growth/). Cover: combined product/portfolio knowledge, MEDDPICC, Command-of-the-Message, pricing/discount governance. Cross-ref sales-methodology.command-of-the-message-map.
RevOps tooling merge (CRM, CPQ, forecasting)
Merge RevOps tooling: CRM (Salesforce / HubSpot / Microsoft Dynamics), CPQ, forecasting, attribution. Apply keep / consolidate / retire. Coordinate with marketing-tech merge + billing harmonisation. Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation.
Shared platform decisions (auth, analytics, payments)
Decide shared-platform path: auth (single SSO / federated), analytics (shared event schema), payments (single billing / multi). Reference https://zylo.com/blog/platform-consolidation. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Product feature overlap analysis (sunset / merge / co-exist)
Analyse feature overlap between acquirer + target products. Categorise: sunset (low value / high cost), merge (combine into single feature), co-exist (different ICPs). Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/post-merger-integration/.
PM process merge (PRD, sprint, release cadence)
Merge product management processes: PRD format, sprint cadence, release cycle, OKR system. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/post-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Research / UX function merge
Merge research and UX functions: research repository, design ops, UX research cadence. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/post-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Design system merge (or hybrid)
Merge design systems: keep both / migrate to one / hybrid (target uses acquirer system for new builds). Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
CS playbook merge (onboarding, EBR, renewal)
Merge CS playbooks: customer onboarding, executive business review, renewal motion, expansion motion. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Renewal process merge
Merge renewal process: 90/60/30-day cadence, redline workflow, escalation path. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
NPS survey harmonisation (combined-co instrument)
Harmonise NPS instrument: question wording, response scale, sampling cadence, segmentation. Reference https://softwareequity.com/blog/customer-churn-analysis/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Customer health score merge
Merge customer health score frameworks: usage signals, support ticket volume, NPS, ARR-at-risk. Reference https://softwareequity.com/blog/customer-churn-analysis/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Combined-co CS KPI dashboard
Build combined-co CS KPI dashboard: NPS / health / churn / expansion. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Remote / hybrid policy merge
Merge remote / hybrid work policies. Coordinate with policy handbook merge (M3.S3). Reference https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/hr-magazine/merging-compensation-strategies. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Equipment + asset transfer
Transfer physical equipment + assets between sites as needed. Coordinate with finance for asset accounting. Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Send Day-7 + Day-30 customer-comms decision-tree messages
Send Day-7 + Day-30 messages per customer-comms decision tree: FAQ + reassurance (Day 7) + operational changes update (Day 30). Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/.
Perception workshops (Bain-style - self / other / assumed)
Run Bain-style perception workshops: self-perception, other-perception, assumed-perception. Surface inaccurate stereotypes between cohorts. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/.
Author corrective-action protocol: when weekly actuals miss target by N% for M weeks, escalate to Steering with proposed action. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
Stand up proof-link evidence store
Stand up proof-link evidence store: every synergy KR weekly update has a proof link (vendor invoice, CRM report, payroll register) attached. Audit trail. Reference https://www.lek.com/insights/pe/us/ei/keys-unlocking-merger-value-cost-synergies.
Cultural index (Day 100, second pulse)
Day-100 cultural index measurement (second pulse since Day 14/21). Track movement on Bain three fault lines. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Day-100 board update
Day-100 board update - the public credibility milestone. Five categories: synergy realisation vs target, integration cost burn, top-talent retention, customer NPS delta, top-3 risks. Per https://bridgepointconsulting.com/insights/post-merger-integration-kpis-track-first-100-days-early-stage-deal-success-efficiency/, Day-100 board signal sets investor narrative for the rest of Y1.
Marketing collateral refresh
Refresh marketing collateral: sales decks, one-pagers, case studies, white papers, social media assets. Reference https://www.walkersands.com/about/blog/brand-architecture-considerations-for-acquisitions/.
Press release at Day 100 (synergy proof points)
Day-100 press release with synergy proof points. Reference https://dealroom.net/blog/building-a-communications-plan-from-scratch. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Rep-by-rep redline meetings (HR + manager)
Rep-by-rep redline meetings: HR + manager + rep, walk through new comp plan, new quota, new territory. Per Alexander Group (https://www.alexandergroup.com/insights/private-equity-sales-compensation-harmonization-to-unlock-integration-growth/) - personal redlines are the difference between adoption and revolt.
Cross-sell SPIF design + launch
Design and launch cross-sell SPIF (sales performance incentive fund) to motivate combined-org reps. Reference https://www.alexandergroup.com/insights/private-equity-sales-compensation-harmonization-to-unlock-integration-growth/.
Cross-sell pipeline tracking dashboard
Build cross-sell pipeline tracking dashboard. Reference https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/m-and-a/our-insights/how-strategic-buyers-can-outperform-financial-investors-by-building-a-synergy-muscle.
IMO team redeployment / next-deal capture
Redeploy IMO team: (a) into BAU functions, (b) into next-deal IMO if pipeline warrants, (c) external. Capture lessons in placement. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
IMO archives handover (templates + lessons + decisions)
Hand over IMO archives: 21 IP artifacts, decision log, lessons learned, dependency DAG. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
Template updates (charter, runbook, decision tree)
Update T2D3 IP templates with lessons from this deal: IMO charter, IT cutover runbook, billing harmonisation runbook, brand decision tree, customer-comms decision tree. Reference https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf.
Investor / public Year-1 narrative
Investor / public Year-1 narrative: press release, investor letter, earnings narrative. Reference https://dealroom.net/blog/building-a-communications-plan-from-scratch. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Analyse 7S results (acquirer x target x combined target)
Analyse 7S results comparing acquirer x target x combined-target cohort scores. Surface significant deltas. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Author fault-line interventions per Bain three categories
Author fault-line interventions per Bain's three categories: purpose & values, decision-making norms, working styles. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/.
7S readout to combined leadership team
7S readout to combined leadership team. 60-min session; commitments per fault line. Reference https://www.mindtools.com/your-toolkit/strategy-analysis/mckinsey-7s/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Author Gain (what customers gain from combined-co)
Author customer Gain: better product, broader capability, value, scale advantages. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Roll out customer PCG narrative (Day 1 -> 365 cadence)
Roll out customer PCG narrative on Day 1 / 7 / 30 / 100 / 365 cadence per customer-comms decision tree. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/keeping-customers-first-in-merger-integration/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Monitor cultural fault lines monthly
Monitor cultural fault lines monthly. Track intervention progress; surface emerging fault lines. Reference https://www.bain.com/insights/cultural-integration-m-and-a-report-2023/. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Author escalation playbook (one-step rule)
Author escalation playbook: one-step rule (always escalate one level up if SLA at risk). Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
Weekly RAG audit of register
Weekly RAG audit of register: total open / aging / SLA breaches / closure rate. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
Pattern analysis (recurring root causes)
Pattern analysis: surface recurring root causes; trigger preventive corrective actions. Reference https://www.mergerintegration.com/integration-risk-form-and-risk-log. Owned by the M3/M4/M5/M6/M7/M8 IMO workstream lead per the M1.S3 charter; executed under IMO governance with weekly RAG review, severity-based SLAs, and proof-link evidence per Umbrex IMO playbook (https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/) and BCG PMI Toolkit (https://media-publications.bcg.com/flash/PDF/PMI.pdf).
Handover register to BAU governance at IMO sunset
Handover risk + issues register to BAU governance at IMO sunset. Open items transition to function leads. Reference https://umbrex.com/resources/post-merger-integration-playbook-2025/governance-integration-management-office-imo/.
