Merger and Acquisition Integration Solutions

Global PMI Partners’ integration and carve-out planning & execution services are informed by the collective experience from over 350 transactions across dozens of sectors. Our services can be applied to any size deal and are effective across a variety of transaction types. 

Integration Management Office (IMO) Mobilization^SM and Carve-Out Management Office (CMO) Mobilization^SM services are expressly designed for mid-market transactions and can be applied to any sector or industry. Our Mobilization programs employ a process driven approach to help management teams deliver the business and synergy objectives of their transaction. Our leaders will establish a short-term governance structure that empowers the transaction team and will deploy a battle-tested methodology for successfully managing any integration or carve-out challenge.

Client Challenges:

• Minimal bandwidth for engaged personnel
• Limited pre-close planning timeframe
• Limited to no internal integration planning & execution expertise
• Potential business continuity impacts
• Delicate & evolving relationship with target
• Unknown issues & risks

Deliverables and Value:

• Mission critical direction defined and communicated early, providing “end state” vision to accelerate integration planning
• Analysis of the operational consequences of different carve-out scenarios, perimeters and objectives
• Key governance and project management challenges solved early, allowing teams to focus on planning
• Transition to execution mode immediately post close drives momentum into the acquired and/or carved-out entity
• Creates “bias for urgency” to get the bulk on integration work completed quickly
• Well defined methodology, process, tools & templates minimize impacts on business continuity

More:

Video: IMO Mobilization^sm Webinar
Article: IMO Mobilization^sm is helping acquirers accelerate integration & maximize value

Staffing an IMO (Integration Management Office) or CMO (Carve-Out Management Office) can often be difficult due to internal bandwidth or lack of experience. While Global PMI Partners’ process prefers to leverage internal expertise as much as possible, inevitably there are scenarios where additional workstream support is needed to help plan and manage critical workstreams like HR, IT, Communications, Supply Chain, Operations etc. We have a robust bench of experienced experts in a variety of functional disciplines whom we can tap to help, and who can act as a transparent and seamless extension of our client’s internal teams.

Client Challenges:

• Limited bandwidth for functional leads assigned to a project
• Business as Usual to be managed while the integration is going on
• Lack of deep subject matter expertise for specific industries or functional workstreams
• Limited experience with integration and/or carve-out transactions

Deliverables and Value:

• Seamless transition to client internal team
• Prepare a detailed plan for each work stream
• Keep the activities of each work stream aligned with other work streams and with the overall project
• Monitor the day by day progress and expedite the solutions of any issues that could arise
• Transition work to internal resource when appropriate
• Guarantee an adequate level of quality in the delivery

Global PMI Partners’ leaders will work with you to define and deliver your organization design, based on clear design principles, both for Day 1 and for your desired strategic end state.

Client Challenges:

• Effective alignment of organization design to business strategy
• Having a clear and consistent framework to design your optimum organization, at leadership team, divisional and functional levels
• Having a broad cross-section of worked examples from a range of industry sectors to benchmark and challenge internal preferences, options and thinking
• Having the bandwidth and experience to objectively and rapidly facilitate working sessions with business and functional leaders to achieve aligned thinking, removing political and other barriers
• Having sufficient bandwidth in the business and supporting HR functions to drive multiple, simultaneous changes to organization structures and reporting lines, typical of integration scenarios

Deliverables and Value:

• Enhance business performance by aligning your structure and people to your strategy, looking at your organization and understanding what changes would make it perform better – and then delivering those changes
• Strip out unnecessary organizational complexity, role ambiguity, and simplify your work processes to develop more effective organization units, improve cross-functional working, and reduce costs
• Streamline your decision making processes to clarify accountability and improve responsiveness and agility
• Support to identify leadership team members, assess and retain key talent and maximize their contributions
• Support for new leadership members to design and implement their organizations effectively and generate expected business results
• Methodology, process, and templates for functional design, team and individual roles, as well as aligning performance management frameworks
• Effective change management strategies to control resistance, promote communication and facilitate smoother implementation of key organizational changes
• Detailed knowledge of cross-jurisdictional legal requirements concerning consultation and other factors to ensure compliance with relevant employment laws

Global PMI Partners’ leaders will work with you to help you optimize your operating model, based on clear design principles and business objectives.

Client Challenges:

• Having a clear and consistent framework to test the efficacy of existing operating models, at organizational, divisional and functional levels
• Having a broad cross-section of worked examples from a range of industry sectors to benchmark and challenge internal preferences and thinking
• Knowing what is appropriate for your scenario as operating models come in many shapes and sizes, in many different formats (for example, how transformative will the optimization be on your existing organization?)
• Having the bandwidth and experience to objectively and rapidly facilitate rapid working sessions with business and functional leaders to achieve aligned thinking, removing political and other barriers

Deliverables and Value:

• Target operating model change is an iterative process of design and implementation, that links corporate strategy and business model to your business and IT operating model
• Effective operating model improvement is based on three core principles: data-driven, rapid experimentation and context-sensitive
• Clear strategic framework and process to rapidly assess and identify opportunities to enhance the 8 core dimensions of your target operating model: Customer Journey, Channels, Product/Service Delivery, Organization, Processes & Technology, Supply Chain, Information Flows and Governance
• Prioritize initiatives ─ immediate action vs. those dependent on rollout of technology
• Develop a phased migration strategy ─ an action plan that outlines major initiatives facilitating the redesigned environment
• Effective approaches to create and execute the roadmap and change plan to get from your current state to your optimized target end state

Culture is invariably quoted as a top priority for achieving integration success. It is a leading driver of deal success and the underlying solution to solve typical issues like integration delay, strategy clarification, and team incentivization. Global PMI Partners’ extensive experience and publications have crystallized a pragmatic approach to bridge cultural gaps and differences, manage the change process and enhance a clear and constant communication plan.

Client Challenges:

• Addressing culture in the pre-signing phase
• Communicating to stakeholders
• Identifying your team’s integration readiness
• Addressing culture in the post-closing phase

Deliverables and Value:

Cultural due diligence:

• Walk away from the deal if needed
• Culture-related negotiation advice
• Insight in own culture

Communication Matrix; we work with you to formulate communication:

• Internal, to board, management, employees, unions
• External, to customers, suppliers, subcontractors, politicians, public
• Aligned messages across FAQ, mail, letters, press, …
• Timing
• Translation

The VICARS integration readiness assessment helps identify how well your company scores on the 12 imperatives for successful integration

A methodological way to address value alignment

Developing an Integration Management Office (IMO) or Carve-Out Management Office (CMO) can be difficult challenging due to internal bandwidth restrictions or lack of experience. When there is a need to support Transition Service Agreements (TSAs), we provide M&A integration consulting solutions that leverage internal corporate expertise as much as possible. Inevitably, there will be scenarios where additional support is required to manage critical workstreams during TSA scenarios, such as HR, IT, communications, supply chain and operations, and other areas. As such, we have a robust team of experts specializing in a variety of functional disciplines. They can be tapped for post-merger integration consulting and TSA management, and acting as an extension of our client.

Client Challenges:

• Lack of understanding TSA service areas, functional descriptions, and requirements for post-close business continuity support
• No robust validation on estimated costs for each TSA Function
• Lack of clarity regarding risks and risk mitigation strategies

Deliverables and Value:

• Identify TSA service areas, functional descriptions, and requirements (People, Process, Technology, and Data).
• TSA Management Matrix (Excel Spreadsheet) identifying TSA service areas, functional descriptions, and requirements
• TSA Fee Validation Spreadsheet estimating costs for each TSA Function
• Rough assessment of incremental costs of TSA services
• Risk Register identifying risk and risk mitigation strategies
• Assess impact to existing functions during and after completion of the TSA (resources, costs, etc.)
• Identify risks/risk mitigation related to the TSA and Post-merger integration

We have a wide range of acquisition integration consulting tools that help ensure merger and acquisition integration is executed efficiently while mitigating risk, delivering value you expect.

To help ensure integration success, we have our highly experienced team perform a health check of your program within 3-5 days. This can be at any time, from early on in the mobilization phase to the end of the execution phase, as your prepare to transition remaining integration activity back to business as usual.

Client Challenges:

• Is your post-acquisition integration plan realistic and achievable?
• Are you following post-merger integration best practices? Are you focused on the right success criteria?
• How do you know you are managing your integration effectively and efficiently?
• What level of integration complexity and risk do you have? How does this compare to other integrations?
• How likely are you to deliver your integration objectives and synergies? Are you on track?
• How do you prioritize actions to improve your chances of success; and how do you argue for the resources we need?

Deliverables and Value:

• Provides independent and objective verification on the health of your programme and the degree to which the programme is on track;
• Helps reduce the likelihood of failure through the identification of ineffective processes, controls and risks to delivery;
• Provides a clear, prioritized checklist of areas for improvement;
• Addresses the need to demonstrate effective control and risk management both internally and externally;
• Provides accurate and detailed recommendations which are not subject to internal bias for over-optimism; and
• Onward integration requirements and priorities are identified, to ensure you can deliver future integrations successfully with enhanced capabilities.

“Long Tail” integration activity delivers value to management, employees, customers, and shareholders. Global PMI Partners has extensive experience developing strategy and optimizing operating models of newly combined entities. We help our clients navigate the many opportunities and interdependencies associated with complex, large, and cross-border M&A deals.

Global PMI Partners’ Integration Management Office (IMO) to Project Management Office (PMO) transition services are for companies growing through acquisition and requiring an increased level of corporate maturity. After the acquisition and the first phase of integration, IMO to PMO Transition establishes right-sized governance, tools, and process to initiate and manage enterprise projects, including longer tail integration projects, on an ongoing basis.

Client Challenges:

• Misalignment between project initiatives and corporate strategy
• Lack of visibility and prioritization of critical project initiatives
• Poor communication to and performance of project team members
• Project delays due to overtasked or unavailable resources
• Delivery inconsistency and lack of quality control
• Relying on undocumented approaches of limited team members

Deliverables and Value:

PMO governance, tools, and process tailored to the specific needs of the organization’s target maturity.  This includes:

• Corporate strategy-driven project prioritization and change management
• Project planning, including resource leveling and stakeholder management
• Budgeting, risk mitigation, and oversight of project execution and control
• Established, repeatable project process
• Successful project closeout and lessons learned for continuous process improvement

Article: Developing Maturity in Acquisitive Organizations: Converting IMOs to PMOs

Global PMI Partners leaders will work with you to help you optimize your operating model, based on clear design principles and business objectives.

Client Challenges:

• Having a clear and consistent framework to test the efficacy of existing operating models, at organizational, divisional and functional levels
• Having a broad cross-section of worked examples from a range of industry sectors to benchmark and challenge internal preferences and thinking
• Knowing what is appropriate for your scenario as operating models come in many shapes and sizes, in many different formats (for example, how transformative will the optimization be on your existing organization?)
• Having the bandwidth and experience to objectively and rapidly facilitate rapid working sessions with business and functional leaders to achieve aligned thinking, removing political and other barriers

Deliverables and Value:

• Target operating model change is an iterative process of design and implementation, that links corporate strategy and business model to your business and IT operating model
• Effective operating model improvement is based on three core principles: data-driven, rapid experimentation and context-sensitive
• Clear strategic framework and process to rapidly assess and identify opportunities to enhance the 8 core dimensions of your target operating model: Customer Journey, Channels, Product/Service Delivery, Organization, Processes & Technology, Supply Chain, Information Flows and Governance
• Prioritize initiatives ─ immediate action vs. those dependent on rollout of technology
• Develop a phased migration strategy ─ an action plan that outlines major initiatives facilitating the redesigned environment
• Effective approaches to create and execute the roadmap and change plan to get from your current state to your optimized target end state

Operational restructuring can occur at any time, as well in M&A scenarios, often triggered by new leaders, or persistent underperforming businesses, for example.

Our leaders will work with you to help you restructure your operations, leveraging our wealth of experience designing and implementing new operating models and organizations.

Client Challenges:

• Having a clear and consistent framework to test the efficacy of your existing operations and operating models, at organizational, divisional and functional levels
• Having a broad cross-section of worked examples from a range of industry sectors to benchmark and challenge internal preferences and thinking
• Knowing what is appropriate for your scenario as operational restructuring can take many forms. For example, it could involve a broad range if initiatives, such as business rationalization, revenue and resource optimization, site consolidation, re-organization, as well as general cost reduction planning and implementation
• Having the bandwidth and experience to objectively and rapidly facilitate rapid working sessions with business and functional leaders to achieve aligned thinking, removing political and other barriers

Deliverables and Value:

• Confirm whether your existing operating model is still ‘fit for purpose’ in the light of changes to your business strategy and/or known opportunities for improvement
• Clear strategic framework and process to rapidly assess and identify opportunities to enhance 1 or more of the 8 core dimensions of your operating model: Customer Journey, Channels, Product/Service Delivery, Organisation, Processes, Technology, Information Flows and Governance
• Effective approaches to create and execute the roadmap and change plan to get from your current state to your future state
• Rapid assessment of value drivers and the prioritization of identified restructuring initiatives
• Detailed knowledge of cross-jurisdictional legal requirements concerning consultation and other factors to ensure compliance with relevant employment laws