Merger Integration Team Planning Exercises

Team Exercises

1. Value Drivers
2. Integration Complete
3. Early Wins Exercise
4. Team Planning Breakout
5. Client Support

Exercise 1: Value Drivers

Instructions:

• Break out into groups by function
• Spend a few moments reviewing the integration priorities for your function and the value drivers for the deal

• As a group, discuss and record input regarding the following questions:

  • Is the emerging direction logical? What are key barriers and/or enablers of success?
  • What is our function’s’ role in helping achieve each value driver?
  • What actions can we take to put our people in the best position to execute the integration seamlessly and efficiently?
• Pick a spokesperson and prepare to debrief

Exercise 2: Integration Complete

Instructions:

• Define the 5 to 10 key items that will define the finish line for integration

Format:

• Items should complete the sentence, “We can consider the integration finished when...”
• Items should be as clearly measurable as possible and leave little room for interpretation (e.g., “when we are operating seamlessly” is not a good example of integration complete).

Exercise 2: Integration Complete Example

Integration will be complete when we have …

• Transitioned our back office financial systems from two platforms to a single, live SAP platform
• Rationalized all sales offices in overlapping regions and terminated ties to legacy real estate
• Defined, communicated, and implemented the new organizational structure such that everyone understands their new reporting relationship and role
• Transitioned all product manufacturing to one of our two “centers of excellence” and closed all legacy sites
• Standardized on a single sales operation platform such that all customer data for the combined customer base is accessible to all sales support reps ...