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
Technology value creation in M&A
29 chapters
How technology choices shape M&A value through cost baselines, synergies, ERP decisions, execution timing, and focused investment.
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.
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.
10
Infrastructure and cloud due diligence: scalability, cost, and risk
How to test cloud cost, scalability, control, and recovery—and decide when infrastructure risk should change price, terms, or timing.
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.
13
ERP due diligence: when the core system is the deal
A practical way to test when ERP condition, fit, and change capacity should alter the investment case, one-time cash, or integration plan.
15
IT cost structure and budget due diligence
A diligence approach for normalizing IT run-rate, separating mandatory spend from upside, and protecting the EBITDA case before signing.
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.
19
AI for cyber, data, and risk detection in deals
Where AI can improve cyber, data, and operational risk detection in diligence, and how to keep the outputs tied to deal decisions rather than noise.
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.
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.
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.
40
One ERP or multiple? Post-deal ERP strategy choices
A decision framework for choosing one ERP, multiple ERPs, or a staged model without turning ERP standardization into a value-delay program.
43
ERP for manufacturing-heavy businesses
How to test whether ERP can support plants, inventory, costing, quality, and supply chain changes before manufacturing deal value slips.
45
Procurement and supply chain system integration
How to sequence procurement, supplier, inventory, and logistics systems so sourcing value does not get trapped behind data and process gaps.
46
Timing ERP transformations: Day-1, Day-100, or later?
A deal-timing framework for deciding when ERP transformation should happen, what must wait, and how to avoid turning Day-1 into an ERP program.