01
The role of technology in value creation (and destruction) in M&A
A practical way to translate the deal thesis into technology decisions, gates, and a sequenced workplan that protects Day-1 and accelerates synergy.
Topic index
Tech M&A deal execution
29 chapters
Tech M&A execution guidance for turning diligence findings into Day-1 plans, TSAs, governance, workplans, and measurable deal outcomes.
1. Articles
02
How tech due diligence really drives investment outcomes
Turn diligence into price, timing, and Day-1 decisions—before the model hardens and options disappear.
03
Buy-side vs sell-side tech due diligence: different objectives, different truths
A deal team guide to using sell-side diligence to speed the process—without confusing “a clean story” with an executable plan.
04
What good looks like in IT due diligence
A scorecard and evidence pack that turns tech diligence into price, timing, and a Day-1 plan you can actually execute.
05
Tech DD in PE deals vs corporate deals
How to adjust diligence scope, outputs, and decision triggers so you underwrite the right risks, timing, and cash for the buyer type.
06
Speed vs depth: trade-offs in fast-cycle due diligence
A fast-cycle tech diligence playbook to pick the few questions that set the deal clock, cash needs, and downside protection.
07
Red flags that kill deals (or should)
A deal-team way to separate fixable issues from value killers, with evidence asks and decision triggers that change price, terms, or timing.
08
Assessing the IT organization: skills, structure, and key-person risk
A diligence framework to underwrite whether the IT team can run the business and deliver the deal agenda—and what it costs to de-risk the first 100 days.
09
Application landscape due diligence: complexity, technical debt, and fit
How to find the applications that set the deal clock, turn technical debt into mandatory cash, and protect value before signing.
11
Cybersecurity due diligence: what matters before it is too late
A deal-team framework to test which cyber issues change price, timing, connectivity, and first-100-day execution before the buyer inherits the risk.
12
Data, analytics, and reporting due diligence
How deal teams can test whether management reporting, data quality, and KPI logic can support the investment thesis after close.
14
IT contracts, licenses, and vendor lock-in risks
How to find contract and licensing terms that change TSA cost, run-rate, separation timing, and the buyer's freedom to execute the deal plan.
17
How AI is changing tech due diligence
A practical view of where AI can compress diligence work, where it creates false confidence, and how deal teams should govern AI-assisted findings.
18
Using AI to accelerate application and codebase analysis
How buyers can use AI-assisted analysis to find application risk faster while avoiding unsupported conclusions about code quality, ownership, and changeability.
20
Limits and risks of AI-driven due diligence
A deal-team checklist for using AI in diligence without creating false precision, data leakage, weak attribution, or unsupported investment conclusions.
21
Translating tech due diligence findings into the investment thesis
A deal team method to turn diligence from a findings list into price, timing, and funding decisions before you sign.
22
From findings to actions: building the tech workplan pre-close
Turn technology diligence findings into owned actions, decision gates, funding, and Day-1 protection before the transaction closes.
23
TSA strategy: why most deals get it wrong
Design transition service agreements around the exit path, service economics, and business outcomes so temporary support does not become a value trap.
24
Estimating true one-time vs run-rate IT costs
A deal-team method to separate implementation cash from the steady-state cost base so IT synergies, TSA exits, and EBITDA timing are underwritten correctly.
25
Separation vs integration: making the right call early
A decision framework for choosing independence, integration, or a staged approach before system dependencies set the Day-1 risk, TSA clock, and synergy path.
26
Tech implications of carve-out vs full acquisition deals
How deal structure changes technology scope, Day-1 control, one-time cost, and the path from signing to a stable operating model.
27
What Day-1 really means for IT
Define Day-1 as a minimum viable operating state—with explicit pass/fail tests and fallbacks—so you don’t learn your dependencies at 9:00 a.m. after close.
28
Day-1 readiness: systems, people, and data
Prove that systems, people, and data can work together at close, with evidence-based gates, accountable owners, and practical fallbacks for the dependencies that remain.
29
Designing and negotiating TSAs that actually work
Translate the exit plan into service schedules, measurable rights, commercial controls, and acceptance gates that keep a TSA temporary and operable.
30
Managing TSA dependencies and exit risks
Control post-close TSA dependencies with evidence-based exit waves, buyer capability gates, and cost decisions tied to value timing.
31
Governance and decision rights during TSA periods
Build a governance operating system that separates service operations from exit decisions, assigns accountable owners, and prevents TSA cost and risk from drifting after close.
32
Common Day-1 failures and how to avoid them
A control-based method to expose Day-1 failure paths, prove readiness, and activate fallbacks before ownership changes.
33
IT program management in carve-outs and PMIs
How to run the IT work as a deal program—clear owners, decision cadence, and value gates—so you exit TSAs on time and capture value without outages.
39
ERP as a value lever in M&A
How deal teams can decide when ERP is a value accelerator, a constraint on the thesis, or mandatory cash before the first 100 days are over.