A successful deal can be derailed by poor information transfer between the diligence and integration teams. Without a structured handoff process and a centralized system of record, valuable context on risks and rationale is lost, forcing the integration team to rediscover critical information post-close.

Contrary to standard M&A practice where integration begins post-close, Brad Jacobs makes immediate, unrestricted access to a target company's employees and operations a non-negotiable term upon signing. This allows his team to begin the integration process weeks or months earlier.

Instead of a separate team handing off findings, Cisco's integration lead orchestrates the entire diligence process. This ensures that diligence is not just a risk-finding exercise but is actively focused on validating the executability of the initial integration strategy and deal thesis.

Cisco's model brings the integration lead in from the earliest phases to shape diligence strategy. This ensures the "how" of integration is validated early, preventing post-close surprises and accelerating value capture, a stark contrast to the traditional model where integration is a late-stage handover.

To avoid a broken handoff, embed key business and integration experts into the core deal team from the start. These members view diligence through an integration lens, validating synergy assumptions and timelines in real-time. This prevents post-signing surprises and ensures the deal model is operationally achievable, creating a seamless transition from deal-making to execution.

Many M&A teams focus solely on closing the deal, a critical execution task. The best acquirers succeed by designing a parallel process where integration planning and value creation strategies are developed simultaneously with due diligence, ensuring post-close success.

The biggest risk after closing a deal is losing momentum. To ensure success, Snowflake assigns a 'Directly Responsible Individual' (DRI) for integration. This person leads reviews at 30, 60, 90, and 180 days post-close to hold everyone accountable to the integration plan and original thesis.

By the time a strategic acquirer enters due diligence, the desire to do the deal is already high. The process's primary purpose is not to hunt for deal-breakers but to confirm key assumptions and, more importantly, to gather the necessary data to build a robust and successful integration plan.

To avoid post-close surprises and knowledge loss, marry diligence and integration leads before an LOI is even signed. This ensures real-world operational experience informs diligence from the start. The goal is to have a drafted integration thesis by LOI and a near-complete plan by signing, not after closing.