How Integration Prioritization Results in Increased Return on Investment

By: Charlie Dino – President, GM

06/18/2018

Integration Iniatives typically start with a requirements gathering session, utilize a one size fits all approach, and financial metrics are not a focus of the integration prioritization.

Let’s look at each of these individually and suggest improvements that will driver greater Return on Investment.

If you start the integration process with a requirements gathering session, how do you prioritize the initiatives across program areas of focus? How do you tie the prioritization to the initiative’s expectation for financial return? Our improvement suggestion would be to start three process steps prior to the requirements gathering session. If we start with a financial metric based integration assessment for the overall initiative, it leads to a prioritization of the program areas and projects. The prioritization leads to greater Return on Investment through quicker initiative completions.

How does a one size fits all integration approach work for different industry, acquisitions, mergers, and changing deliverable goals? A repeatable process is a value, but taking the repeatable process with no allowance for modification leads to longer integration execution times. Our improvement suggestion would be conduct an integration assessment allowing for small process modifications per engagement based upon business drivers for optimal financial return.

If an initiative’s financial return expectations are not planned and tracked from the beginning it leads to Return on Investment erosion. Our improvement suggestion is that if you set financial return expectations from the beginning, then you will allow for less scope creep in the project initiatives which leads to quicker turnaround completion times.

AcquireTek believes that a financial metric based Integration assessment and prioritization leads to quicker completion times, less scope creep, and greater Return on Investment.