LEANPRO / PRACTICAL WORKBENCH / 02
Acquisition integration.
Separate the deal milestone from the operating work.
Sponsors, integration leads and functional owners bringing an acquired business into an operating group.
A Day One boundary, integration decisions, dependency map and a 100-day delivery plan.
00 / SET THE BOUNDARY
Your working brief.
Start with a real decision and a defined scope. Work through the six sections with the people who operate the process and the people accountable for accepting change.
Prepare a first draft, then challenge it in a working session. Put references to evidence in the registers, assign accountable reviewers, and turn the gaps into actions. Review the generated decision brief before sharing it. The tool organises evidence; it does not certify readiness or make a decision for you.
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01 / WORKING SESSION
Define the integration intent.
What should the acquisition change, and what must remain stable?
Work through it
- Translate the deal rationale into observable operating outcomes. Separate value assumptions from approved commitments.
- State what will remain separate for now and the conditions for revisiting that decision.
Challenge the assumption
- Which customer or service promises cannot be disrupted?
- Where does a group standard create friction for the acquired operation?
Worked example — illustrative, not a client case
An illustrative group wants common reporting quickly but retains the acquired firm’s customer-facing process during a busy period. The boundary is an explicit decision with a review date, not an unnoticed delay.
Use the starter rows or add your own. Evidence references can identify your internal records without copying confidential content into this file.
| Intended outcome | Operating change | Value assumption / evidence | Protected boundary | Decision owner | × |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer continuity | |||||
| Group reporting | |||||
| Common processes |
OUTPUT STANDARDA short integration intent with protected boundaries and named decision owners.
Watch for: Treating the deal announcement as agreement on the future operating model.
Record the review, not just the activity.
“Accepted” requires a named reviewer, date and evidence. “Not applicable” needs the same accountability and a rationale. This is a working record, not independent assurance.
02 / WORKING SESSION
Design the Day One boundary.
What must function immediately after the operating move?
Work through it
- Trace customer, colleague, finance and supplier journeys through the move. Identify where permissions or responsibilities change.
- Distinguish continuity measures from permanent integration. Give temporary arrangements an owner and expiry review.
Challenge the assumption
- What is the minimum safe operating position?
- Which temporary arrangements could become permanent by accident?
Worked example — illustrative, not a client case
An acquired team keeps its current service desk for the first phase while escalation routes change. The integration plan records both routes, communications and the acceptance conditions for a later migration.
Use the starter rows or add your own. Evidence references can identify your internal records without copying confidential content into this file.
| Journey / area | Day One requirement | Temporary arrangement | Later target | Owner / review | × |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customers and service | |||||
| People and access | |||||
| Finance and suppliers |
OUTPUT STANDARDA usable Day One design with explicit temporary measures.
Watch for: Scheduling all desired integration into the first operating day.
Record the review, not just the activity.
“Accepted” requires a named reviewer, date and evidence. “Not applicable” needs the same accountability and a rationale. This is a working record, not independent assurance.
03 / WORKING SESSION
Surface decisions and dependencies.
Which cross-functional choices control the plan?
Work through it
- Record each decision with options, consequences and an accountable decision maker.
- Connect required inputs to the work they unblock. Reconcile conflicting dates across finance, HR, IT and operations.
Challenge the assumption
- Which workstream looks green only because another team’s input is assumed?
- What happens if a decision is deferred?
Worked example — illustrative, not a client case
A payroll data cut is scheduled before employment data ownership is agreed. Making that dependency explicit changes the mobilisation sequence before either team starts irreversible work.
Use the starter rows or add your own. Evidence references can identify your internal records without copying confidential content into this file.
| Decision / input | Options or provider | Affected work / receiver | Required date | Authority / escalation | × |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity and access approach | |||||
| Reporting data ownership | |||||
| Supplier transition |
OUTPUT STANDARDCross-functional decisions with deadlines, consequences and authority.
Watch for: Maintaining separate plans that share dates but no agreed hand-offs.
Record the review, not just the activity.
“Accepted” requires a named reviewer, date and evidence. “Not applicable” needs the same accountability and a rationale. This is a working record, not independent assurance.
04 / WORKING SESSION
Mobilise the people and communication.
Can colleagues explain what changes for their work?
Work through it
- Describe changes by role and operating scenario, including what does not change.
- Match communications, training and consultation needs to the responsible specialists. Record readiness feedback rather than just attendance.
Challenge the assumption
- Who handles questions that fall between the old and new organisation?
- Can the receiving manager explain ownership on the first operating day?
Worked example — illustrative, not a client case
An illustrative manager briefing explains approval limits but reveals that deputies have no access. The action closes when the deputy process works, not when the presentation has been circulated.
Use the starter rows or add your own. Evidence references can identify your internal records without copying confidential content into this file.
| Audience / role | Change in daily work | Preparation / communication | Feedback evidence | Owner | × |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer-facing teams | |||||
| Managers / approvers | |||||
| Support and specialists |
OUTPUT STANDARDRole-level readiness evidence and a route for unresolved colleague questions.
Watch for: Counting communication outputs rather than checking understanding.
Record the review, not just the activity.
“Accepted” requires a named reviewer, date and evidence. “Not applicable” needs the same accountability and a rationale. This is a working record, not independent assurance.
05 / WORKING SESSION
Build the first-100-days delivery plan.
Which changes create value without overwhelming the operation?
Work through it
- Sequence stabilisation, foundations and integration releases. Record dependencies and capacity constraints for each tranche.
- Give each benefit an observable measure, an operational owner and a baseline. Treat estimates as assumptions to validate.
Challenge the assumption
- What must stabilise before the next change is introduced?
- Which claimed benefit depends on a later decision or investment?
Worked example — illustrative, not a client case
A group postpones a shared reporting release until data definitions are agreed. The value measure is consistent reporting usable by finance, not the number of dashboards launched.
Use the starter rows or add your own. Evidence references can identify your internal records without copying confidential content into this file.
| Phase / outcome | Milestone / dependency | Capacity constraint | Measure / baseline | Owner / review | × |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuity and stabilisation | |||||
| Common operating foundations | |||||
| Next integration release |
OUTPUT STANDARDA phased roadmap tied to operating outcomes and available capacity.
Watch for: Calling a list of initiatives a 100-day plan without proving the sequence.
Record the review, not just the activity.
“Accepted” requires a named reviewer, date and evidence. “Not applicable” needs the same accountability and a rationale. This is a working record, not independent assurance.
06 / WORKING SESSION
Transfer residual work and benefits.
Who owns unfinished integration once the programme changes shape?
Work through it
- List residual issues, benefits and temporary arrangements separately. Allocate receiving owners and a review mechanism.
- Define closure evidence and confirm funding or capacity for work that remains.
Challenge the assumption
- What would fall between the integration team and business as usual?
- Which benefit has no owner after programme closure?
Worked example — illustrative, not a client case
An integration team hands a remaining supplier change to procurement with an agreed owner and funded capacity. It remains visible as an open commitment until the receiving owner accepts the closure evidence.
Use the starter rows or add your own. Evidence references can identify your internal records without copying confidential content into this file.
| Residual commitment | Receiving owner | Acceptance / closure evidence | Capacity / funding | Review date | × |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary arrangements | |||||
| Residual data work | |||||
| Benefits follow-up |
OUTPUT STANDARDAn accepted handover of residual work and benefits ownership.
Watch for: Closing the programme because the reporting cadence has ended.
Record the review, not just the activity.
“Accepted” requires a named reviewer, date and evidence. “Not applicable” needs the same accountability and a rationale. This is a working record, not independent assurance.
07 / INTERACTIVE WORKBENCH
Day One commitments register.
Make critical continuity commitments visible. Link each to an accountable owner, a due date and evidence. Completed tasks do not, by themselves, establish integration success.
Use the action log below for each commitment. Choose “Blocker” only where an accountable decision has made it a blocking condition. Record closure evidence and an owner before marking it complete. The decision brief highlights open blockers and overdue commitments alongside the section reviews.
08 / TURN GAPS INTO COMMITMENTS
An action needs an owner.
Describe an observable closure outcome. Record the owner and due date, and add an evidence reference when closing it. A completed action without owner and evidence remains unresolved in the decision brief.
| Action / closure outcome | Accountable owner | Due date | Priority | Status | Closure evidence | × |
|---|
09 / BRING THIS TO THE DECISION
Your decision brief.
These counts describe your records, not a readiness score. An accepted section can still contain conditions; review the evidence and the action log before any decision.