Post-merger IT integration: deliver the synergies in the model
Connect the technology programme to the value case, with a repeatable playbook for the next bolt-on.
Heremba owns the agreed integration workstream from the technology decisions through delivery. We establish the destination estate, sequence the work and make the dependencies behind the synergy plan visible. The programme connects what changes in the systems to what the business needs to achieve.
Integration delivery, evidenced
EUR120M programme across two continents, delivered under cost.
Give the synergy model an executable technology plan
A model may assume that systems will consolidate, reporting will combine or acquired businesses will move onto a common platform. Each assumption carries work: data preparation, application decisions, migration, operational change and the removal of the systems or services being replaced.
Installing the destination technology is only part of that work. The business needs to operate on it. Costs scheduled for removal need a credible exit route. Where the model depends on cross-sell or consolidated reporting, the relevant data needs to support the intended use.
Post-merger IT integration brings those requirements into a programme the deal team can govern. It distinguishes the changes needed for the value case from improvements that can wait. It also makes the cost and operational implications of different integration options visible before the business commits to them.
Set the destination and the sequence
Test the end state against the value case
We start with the acquisition rationale and the intended operating position. The decision may be to retain, integrate or replace parts of the acquired estate. The appropriate route depends on the capabilities the business needs and the work required to reach them.
Our IT integration consulting work connects those options to the commercial assumptions. A common platform may support the plan, but the programme still needs to account for the effort to migrate, the continuity requirements and the cost of transition. The destination is a decision to substantiate, not simply a default architecture.
Bring the estate and data into one plan
Applications, interfaces, infrastructure and data have dependencies on one another. A migration sequence needs to reflect those relationships and the operational work surrounding them. We establish the relevant scope and connect technology activity to the readiness requirements of the business.
Where the available data cannot support a proposed migration or reporting requirement, the gap needs an action and a cost or timing implication. We distinguish work to prepare the data from work to move it. This keeps a migration date from concealing unfinished preparation.
Connect completion to the benefit
A technical milestone should identify what it enables. If a benefit depends on closing an old service, the plan needs the work required to end it. If it depends on a common reporting view, the data and operational acceptance need to support that view.
We make those dependencies visible so the client can assess whether the programme still supports the synergy plan. Financial benefit recognition and the wider operating decisions remain with the client. Heremba owns the agreed technology delivery and the evidence of its progress.
Deliverables for the integration workstream
The engagement defines the required scope and depth of the following outputs:
- Integration scope and estate viewthe systems, data and dependencies covered by the programme.
- End-state options and decisionswhat will be retained, migrated, integrated or replaced, with the implications of each route.
- Integration roadmapsequencing, milestones and the work required across technology and business functions.
- Cost and dependency recordassumptions, transition costs and the conditions behind the plan.
- Migration and readiness requirementsthe preparation, testing and acceptance needed for the agreed changes.
- Technology benefit-dependency viewthe work required before the client can realise the relevant synergies.
- Bolt-on playbookreusable scope questions, decision points and delivery requirements for subsequent acquisitions.
Our integration templates support these outputs. They provide a consistent structure while allowing the scope to reflect the actual acquisition. The M&A Capability Maturity Model forms part of the wider methodology; it does not replace assessment of the target and destination estates.
Make the next bolt-on more repeatable
Bolt-on acquisition IT integration should build on what the platform business has already established. The playbook records the decisions that can be reused, the evidence required for a new target and the points where the next acquisition may need a different route.
For buy-and-build IT integration, repeatability includes knowing when an exception is justified. A shared approach to scope, dependencies and acceptance makes that decision easier to assess. It also gives the deal team a clearer basis for considering the technology work associated with another acquisition.
The aim is a programme that retains useful knowledge between deals. We do not assume that identical tasks or timelines will fit different targets. The playbook should help the client identify differences early and understand what they change.
Where the work sits in the lifecycle
Within Our M&A Technology Framework, integration carries the acquisition into the hold and value-creation period. Technology Due Diligence can establish the initial findings. Day-1 Readiness & Rescue addresses the continuity threshold at completion. The integration programme then works towards the agreed end state.
PMI technology integration may also follow a separation or depend on services retained under a TSA. Those dependencies need to be part of the same plan. Longer-term estate weaknesses can be addressed through IT Value Creation & Estate Remediation.
How the engagement works
We scope the programme around the value case, acquired estate, destination requirements and current delivery position. The discussion establishes what is already decided, what still needs assessment and the milestones the business must meet. We agree reporting and delivery dates against the scope and dependencies rather than impose a standard integration duration.
Heremba works alongside internal IT, operating functions and the relevant suppliers. The engagement identifies the technology work we own and the decisions retained by the client. It also makes the resources and evidence required from other parties explicit.
Questions deal teams ask
How do you prioritise systems after an acquisition?
Priorities follow the value case, continuity requirements and dependencies between systems and data. We assess what must change to support the intended operating position and what can wait. The roadmap makes those choices explicit, alongside their costs and the work required before a relevant benefit can be realised.
Do all acquisitions need to move onto the same systems?
No. The appropriate end state depends on the acquisition rationale, existing capabilities and cost of change. Retaining, integrating or replacing systems can each be appropriate within a defined scope. We assess the implications of the options rather than assume that a common platform is always the right destination.
What should a bolt-on integration playbook include?
The playbook should record scope questions, destination decisions, evidence requirements, dependencies and acceptance points that can be reused. It must also identify where a new target may require an exception. Repeatability comes from a consistent decision process and delivery structure, not an assumption that every acquisition is identical.
How do you connect integration progress to synergies?
We identify the technology work required before the relevant benefit can be realised. That may include migration, operational acceptance and removal of a replaced service. Reporting makes those dependencies visible. The client retains responsibility for financial benefit recognition and operating decisions beyond the agreed technology workstream.
Can integration proceed while TSA services remain in place?
Yes, where the plan accounts for the retained services and the work required to exit them. Integration sequencing must reflect seller access, migration dependencies and replacement readiness. The programme should make those conditions visible rather than treat TSA exit as a separate date unrelated to the technology work.
For acquirers with a delivery obligation
The service supports corporate development teams integrating acquisitions and private equity operating partners responsible for the hold-period plan. It is also relevant where internal IT must maintain existing operations while the acquired estate changes.
Bring the synergy assumptions and the current integration position. We can then discuss the technology programme needed to deliver the plan.