How to Align Merger and Acquisition (M&A) Strategy, Complexity, and Execution in One Slide
M&A success isn’t decided at the deal table—it’s earned in the messy, high-stakes months that follow. The headlines may focus on deal size or market expansion, but executive leaders know better: strategy is just the starting line. Execution is where value is won, or quietly lost.
That’s why we created the M&A Alignment Canvas. This one-slide tool is built on a four element framework:
- Why the deal is happening
- What the current situation looks like
- Where transformation is needed
- How value will be realized
It brings structure to C-level thinking to quickly align on what matters most for functional leaders so they can turn strategy into execution.
“Poor strategy execution is the primary reason that new growth initiatives fail”
—Marc Kelly,
VP at Gartner.
The Key Information Executives Need to Communicate
1. Business Drivers: Start With the Why
Every integration begins with intent. Why are we doing this deal? What outcome are we expecting? This prompts executive teams to define and prioritize the business drivers that matter most
The most common M&A drivers include:
- Market expansion or customer acquisition
- Supply chain improvements
- Access to talent or emerging tech
- Diversification or tax and regulatory benefits
When this is clearly stated, downstream decisions—on scope, investment, or tradeoffs—stay anchored to the deal’s original purpose.
2. Current Situation: Calibrate the Complexity
Not all deals start from the same place. Is the acquired business a standalone company? Or embedded within a larger operation? That context shapes everything that follows.
By simply identifying the current state, this part of the Canvas clarifies:
- What infrastructure exists today
- What dependencies need to be unwound
- How that impacts timelines, governance, and resourcing
It’s the first step in translating strategy into real planning—especially when working through Transition Services Agreements (TSAs) or inherited constraints.
3. Integration Transformation: Scope What Changes
Once intent and complexity are clear, the next question is: What’s changing—and who owns it? This section maps the functional areas impacted, including:
- Technology and infrastructure
- Finance, HR, legal, and operations
- Sales, marketing, and customer support
It helps identify where leadership attention is required, where teams need to step in, and where outside support may be necessary. For executive sponsors, this is the first signal of ownership, resource requests, and accountability.
4. Value Realization: Define the Integration Model
The hardest—and most important—question: How will value be realized? This section defines the target operating model along a spectrum:
- Arms-length independence
- Symbiotic integration
- Full absorption
These aren’t abstract choices. They shape systems, culture, decision rights, and the pace of change. Clarity here ensures your transformation efforts support—not complicate—the intended future state.
Why This Framework Works
Putting everything on one slide forces clarity and creates a visual map of the journey your organization is undertaking. Everyone, from the board to the front line, can see the purpose, the path, and the priorities.
Teams don’t need every detail. They want to understand the vision—and where they fit. Our one-slide framework works because it helps leaders:
- Align teams on business outcomes
- Express the complexity of execution
- Scope transformation with focus
- Define what success looks like
Whether you’re still planning for Day 1 or stepping into integration, this framework keeps the conversation grounded in what matters most: turning strategy into tangible results.
Take the Next Step
We’ve turned this framework into a one-slide tool you can use today to lead better conversations and tighter execution.
Claim your M&A Alignment Canvas and start the conversation with your team.
Want to see this in action?
Step inside how one industry leader turned M&A complexity into a repeatable system across 14 acquisitions: From M&A Integration Chaos to Competitive Advantage.
