The 5 Critical Elements of an M&A Integration Plan

M&A integrations slow to a crawl when the endgame and the tasks to get there are vague, undetermined, or not communicated.  People tend to shift into neutral and operate with a lower degree of intensity when the path ahead is foggy.

Speed and high performance in M&A are byproducts of clarity. Integration teams build momentum and cover ground at a much faster clip when five areas are clearly defined in their plans.

1. End States

Acquirers should not begin integration planning without first defining their end states.

A few examples of end states . . .