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
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.
1. Establish goals
Partner with the business to determine goals and establish high-level scope.
2. Conduct discovery
Find out what the target organization’s I&O looks like.
3. Plan short-term integration
Build a plan to achieve a day 1 MVP.
4. Map long-term integration
Chart a roadmap for long-term integration.
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.
9.0/10
Overall Impact
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
Onsite Workshop: M&A Runbook for Infrastructure and Operations
Onsite 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 onsite 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
Consult with stakeholders.
- Stakeholder communication plan
Establish M&A business goals.
- M&A business goals
Conduct target discovery.
- I&O M&A Discovery Template
Document own environment.
- Current state of organization
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
Scope I&O M&A project.
- I&O M&A Project Napkin
Assess risks.
- Risk assessment
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
Determine Day 1 minimum viable operating model post M&A.
Identify gaps.
Build day 1 project plan.
- Day 1 project plan
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
Set long-term future state goals.
Create a long-term project plan.
- Long-term integration project plan
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
Complete a change management plan.
- Change management plan
Conduct a process post-mortem.
- Process improvements action items
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
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.
What Is a Blueprint?
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.
Need Extra Help?
Try Our Guided Implementations
Get the help you need in this 4-phase advisory process. You'll receive 9 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
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.
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
