The Simple Integration Companya ZeroTouch initiative · Founded 2007

What we do

The gap between a closed deal and a delivered one.

Most private equity firms and investors back a buy-and-build strategy. They go to great lengths on due diligence, and when everything stacks up, the deal closes — with the expected synergies clearly defined.

Then the investor steps away, leaving the integration of the two organisations in the hands of the management team. As one PE house put it to us: some managers are better at integrating than others.

This is where we step in. The Simple Integration Company has developed a proven, repeatable template that gives investors full visibility of the integration across every workstream — finance, HR, operations, sales and more. Each integration is planned across 100–180 days, depending on size and complexity.

The management teams get support too. We stop the "reinventing the wheel" scenario: from day one we hand both sides a ready-made set of templates covering the 40–50 actions per workstream we've seen across previous integrations. All they have to do is work with us to apply them to their business.

We then stand up a governance cadence — regular meetings with the executive and senior management (the workstream leads) — backed by an online reporting suite that shows progress across every task, milestone and phase of the implementation.

Our Integration Management Office (IMO) produces weekly reports, giving investors and management teams full control and complete visibility of the integration as a whole.

A sample of the live dashboards (Available on line - SharePoint) our IMO runs and maintains for investors and management teams:

PROJECT PHASES60%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%PROJECT TOTAL34%Phase 0 - Discovery91%Phase 1 - Forming18%Phase 2 - Action36%Phase 3 - Norming24%Phase 4 - Closing & Handover4%Phase 5 - Handback47%%ProgressRemaining
% Tasks Complete34%66%%ProgressRemainingOpen - Not Started (0%)97Open - In Progress (1%, 99%)112Completed (100%)70Workstream%ProgressRemainingTasksWORKSTREAM TOTAL34.07%65.93%207Compliance3%97%7ELT28%72%16Governance61%39%28Finance67%33%0HR People5%95%32IT44%56%28Delivery & Operations10%90%22Marketing32%68%26Sales36%64%38
Workstream Progression0%20%40%60%80%100%120%ComplianceELTGovernanceFinanceHR PeopleITDelivery &OperationsMarketingSales%ProgressRemaining
01

Pre-Close Integration Planning

Build the integration thesis before close: priorities, target operating model, risks and Day One requirements.

  • Integration thesis and value drivers
  • Target operating model blueprint
  • Day One requirements and risk register
02

Day One Readiness

Coordinate the decisions, communications, systems, people and controls needed for a confident first day.

  • Day One playbook and checklist
  • Stakeholder and employee communications
  • Systems access and operational continuity
03

Integration Management Office

Create the operating rhythm for integration: governance, milestones, reporting and executive decisions.

  • Governance structure and decision rights
  • Workstream reporting and dashboards
  • Dependency tracking and risk escalation
04

Functional Integration

Support functional workstreams across finance, HR, technology, commercial, operations and procurement.

  • Function-by-function integration plans
  • Systems and process harmonisation
  • Shared services and org design alignment
05

Synergy Realisation

Translate synergy assumptions into owned initiatives, baselines, milestones and financial tracking.

  • Synergy baseline and initiative register
  • Owner assignment and milestone tracking
  • Financial validation and EBITDA reporting
06

Buy-and-Build Playbooks

Turn lessons from each acquisition into a repeatable model that accelerates future deals.

  • Standardised integration templates
  • Lessons-learned and capability building
  • Playbook deployment for future deals

Not sure where to start?

Tell us about the deal and we'll recommend the right level of support.

Email us