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OPERATING BRIEF · FIRST 30 DAYS AFTER INTEGRATION DRIFT IS VISIBLE

What should a PE sponsor do when post-acquisition integration is slipping?

Reset integration around retained value instead of task completion. Name the synergy owners, customer-risk owners, system-retirement owners, and decision bottlenecks; then move the cadence from status reporting to weekly progress on retained customers, retained staff, retired systems, and realized EBITDA.

READING
3 min
BEST FIT
PE Operating Partners, CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, and integration sponsors after close.
RECOMMENDED START
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What is really happening?

Integration misses compound because everyone can show activity while no one owns retained value. A sponsor needs a single operating office that connects customer continuity, people risk, architecture sequence, and synergy progress.

TRIGGER

Use this when synergy timing, customer continuity, system consolidation, or staff retention starts diverging from the deal model.

Questions to resolve before the next move.

  1. Q01

    Why are M&A synergies taking longer than projected?

    Because the model usually assumes systems, teams, data, and customers integrate faster than the operating environment allows.

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  2. Q02

    Does the deal need an IMO or a PMO?

    Use an Integration Management Office when the work needs value capture, decision authority, customer continuity, and executive escalation; use a PMO for narrower coordination.

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  3. Q03

    What should be inspected first?

    Inspect customer-risk list, staff-retention risk, TSA exit dependencies, system-retirement plan, data ownership, and weekly synergy progress.

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Relevant results.

  • 95% customer retention post-merger
  • 100% staff retention 9 months post-close
  • 28,000-user migration with zero downtime
95% customer retention post-merger
Justin Leader Founder Human Renaissance

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