Acquisition Phases

There is number of tasks, requirements and demands associated with any M&A event.  The event unfolds with its own tempo.  Things are manic with tight deadlines at some points through out.  But as more people get involved and the acquired company is integrated, the tempo and the deliverables slow.  The tempo and deliverables varied on the phase.

We identified 6 phases
1. Due Diligence
2. Pre-Sale
3. Day Zero
4. Cut-Over
5. Transition to Operations
6. Normal Operations

Due Diligence is mainly performed by the corporate M&A team.  When things get serious, IT will be invited to assess the acquiring company.  You are there to gather as much information as your can to assess the value of the IT assets, and try to uncover any major issues that might be material for the deal.

The deal looks good, and parties make an announcement of the sale.  This is the Pre-Sale phase.  Since the deal is not yet complete, this phase is often the most dynamic.  It can be characterized as "zero communication" to "working to tear down walls".

Regardless of the pre-sale activities, eventually Day Zero will come and there are key things management and IT should expect.  Typically these expectations include company email and payroll changes.

Cut-Over describes the activity associated with the physical network integration, when you cut over from the old network and join the new corporate network. The financial and HR ERP system may have their own cut-over event.

The Transition to Operations phase comprises the remaining projects that prevent you from transitioning IT activities to normal operations.

Normal Operations is the end state.  Requests, Incidents and Changes are handled by the standard processes.  Any unfinished work is redefined as an IT project with the project portfolio.

My intention is explore each of these phases in depth as we go forward.