Audit Your Integration Capabilities
Take an honest look at your current integration playbook. When was it last updated? Does it account for modern technology capabilities? Does it address today's regulatory environment? If your playbook's collected dust, now is the time to refresh it.
Next step: Conduct a gap assessment of your integration readiness across operational, technological, cultural, and customer experience dimensions. Assess your employee capacity to fill these gaps alongside BAU activities.
1%
estimated efficiency gains across the front and middle office
Invest in Integration Infrastructure
Don't wait until you're in the middle of a deal to build integration capabilities. The institutions that execute best have invested in tools, processes, and expertise before they need them.
Next step: Evaluate program management platforms, data migration tools, and automation capabilities that can accelerate integration execution. Build relationships with partners who can supplement your internal capabilities when needed.
Treat Integration as a Core Competency
The most successful acquirers view integration as a strategic capability, not a one-time project. They invest in building expertise, document lessons learned, and continuously improve their approach.
Next step: If you're planning multiple acquisitions, create a dedicated integration capability within your organization. Capture knowledge from each integration and build a repeatable playbook that improves with each iteration.