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M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations

Partner with the business to deliver value.

  • I&O is often the last to be informed of an impending M&A deal.
  • The business doesn’t understand the necessary requirements or timeline for integration.
  • It’s hard to prioritize when you’re buried under a mountain of work.
  • Documentation may be lacking or nonexistent, and members of the target organization may be uncooperative.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Manage expectations. The business often expects integration in days or weeks, not months or years. You need to set them straight.
  • Open your checkbook and prepare to hire. Integration will require a temporary increase in resources.
  • Tackle organizational and cultural change. People are harder to integrate than technology. Culture change is the hardest part, and the integration plan should address it.

Impact and Result

  • Tailor your approach based on the business objectives of the merger or acquisition.
  • Separate the must-haves from the nice-to-haves.
  • Ensure adequate personnel and budget.
  • Plan for the integration into normal operations.

M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out how to partner with the business to conquer the challenges in your next merger or acquisition.

M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations – Executive Brief
M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations – Phases 1-4

1. Establish goals

Partner with the business to determine goals and establish high-level scope.

M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations – Phase 1: Establish Goals
I&O M&A Project Napkin

2. Conduct discovery

Find out what the target organization’s I&O looks like.

M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations – Phase 2: Conduct Discovery
I&O M&A Discovery Letter Template
I&O M&A Discovery Template
I&O M&A Workbook
I&O M&A Risk Assessment Tool

3. Plan short-term integration

Build a plan to achieve a day 1 MVP.

M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations – Phase 3: Plan Short-Term Integration
I&O M&A Short-Term Integration Capacity Assessment Tool

4. Map long-term integration

Chart a roadmap for long-term integration.

M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations – Phase 4: Map Long-Term Integration
I&O M&A Long-Term Integration Portfolio Planning Tool

Member Testimonials

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Majesco-Head Office

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

N/A

Ecore International

Guided Implementation

10/10

$25,199

10

Ohio CAT

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

2

Englobe

Guided Implementation

9/10

$1,000

5

Load More Testimonials

Workshop: M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 0: High-Level Scope

The Purpose

  • Establish goals and conduct discovery.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Alignment with business goals
  • Documentation of target organization’s current state

Activities

Outputs

0.1

Consult with stakeholders.

  • Stakeholder communication plan
0.2

Establish M&A business goals.

  • M&A business goals
0.3

Conduct target discovery.

  • I&O M&A Discovery Template
0.4

Document own environment.

  • Current state of organization
0.5

Clarify goals.

Module 1: Target Assessment

The Purpose

  • Assess risk and value of target organization.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Accurate scope of I&O integration
  • Risk mitigation plans
  • Value realization strategies

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Scope I&O M&A project.

  • I&O M&A Project Napkin
1.2

Assess risks.

  • Risk assessment
1.3

Assess value.

  • Value assessment

Module 2: Day 1 Integration Project Plan

The Purpose

  • Establish day 1 integration project plan.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Smoother day 1 integration

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Determine Day 1 minimum viable operating model post M&A.

2.2

Identify gaps.

2.3

Build day 1 project plan.

  • Day 1 project plan
2.4

Estimate required resources.

Module 3: Long-Term Project Plan

The Purpose

  • Draw long-term integration roadmap.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Improved alignment with M&A goals
  • Greater realization of the deal’s value

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Set long-term future state goals.

3.2

Create a long-term project plan.

  • Long-term integration project plan
3.3

Consult with business stakeholders on the long-term plan.

Module 4: Change Management and Continual Improvement

The Purpose

  • Prepare for organization and culture change.
  • Refine M&A I&O integration process.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Smoother change management
  • Improved M&A integration process

Activities

Outputs

4.1

Complete a change management plan.

  • Change management plan
4.2

Conduct a process post-mortem.

  • Process improvements action items
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We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

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A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

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Guided Implementation #1 - Establish goals
  • Call #1 - Plan stakeholder communication and establish M&A goals.
  • Call #2 - Review Project Napkin.

Guided Implementation #2 - Conduct discovery
  • Call #1 - Build discovery plan.
  • Call #2 - Conduct risk and value assessment.

Guided Implementation #3 - Plan short-term integration
  • Call #1 - Establish partnership and staff retention strategy.
  • Call #2 - Build day 1 minimum viable operating model and project plan.

Guided Implementation #4 - Map long-term integration
  • Call #1 - Determine long-term future state.
  • Call #2 - Build long-term integration project plan.
  • Call #3 - Conduct project and process post-mortem.

Author

Derek Shank

Contributors

  • Arnie Williamson, IT Executive
  • Elton Tucker, IT Architect and Strategist
  • John Ferrara, Senior Director, Windows Hosting Services
  • Justin Stratton, Senior IT Operations Manager
  • George Tunnicliffe, Head of IT Operations
  • Elton Tucker, IT Architect and Strategist
  • Nabeel Yousif, Executive Consultant
  • Sergio Zanardo, President, SZ Conseil Inc
  • 3 anonymous contributors

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