When the Integration Failed

Eighteen months after the acquisition, the systems integration remains incomplete. Finance still runs on separate ledgers and the combined sales funnel is stitched together manually.

Root causes: underestimated technical debt in the acquired codebase, departure of three key engineers within six months, and a change management plan that underinvested in operating integration.

The board requested a reset plan. The new target closes major integration milestones by year-end, with a realistic contingency buffer built in.

Lessons for the next deal: budget more heavily for people retention, run 90-day "jointness" tests with both engineering leads, and include integration scorecards in post-close governance reporting.