The hare sprints \u2014 but the hedgehog is already at the finish line. The hare is not only completely out of breath but also beside himself with anger. \u201cI don't mind,\u201d says the hedgehog, \u201cI'm already here.\u201d So the whole game is repeated seventy-three times. But on the seventy-fourth attempt, the hare doesn\u2019t make it to the finish line.<\/p>\n
We know the story \u2014 it may sound like a fairy tale, but it\u2019s still true, at least according to the Brothers Grimm. There are only a few buy & build cases in which 74 add-ons are actually integrated. But what if IT isn\u2019t the hare this time, but instead takes on the role of the hedgehog?<\/p>\n
In most cases, IT is not involved from the outset when the target company is turned upside down during the due diligence process \u2014 even though IT plays a significant role in value creation, especially in the financial services sector.<\/p>\n
How often is IT excluded from management presentations because they ask critical questions? Because they inquire about the budget for IT integration? Because their bulletproof migration plans might delay the entire deal?<\/p>\n
Then comes Day One \u2014 and there is no plan for IT integration, no budget for the necessary data migration, and no additional capacity to handle the required effort. \u201cThat can wait. It's not that urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few months later, disillusionment sets in. The acquisition goals have not been achieved. The anticipated cross-selling has failed to materialize. Access to products and customer data remains cumbersome and time-consuming.<\/p>\n
Why is that? When interfaces are poorly defined \u2014 or not defined at all \u2014 the data doesn\u2019t match along the process. Information must be entered twice, three times \u2014 or seventy-four times. This becomes a breeding ground for shadow IT.<\/p>\n
This isn't just inefficient due to excessive duplication and reduced quality. It also leads to ineffectiveness, missed opportunities for innovation, and delayed product launches. In short: a loss of added value. Welcome to the fairy tale forest of lost integration opportunities.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with a classic no-brainer: data harmonization can begin before closing. No data needs to be exchanged \u2014 which is usually prohibited by regulation anyway \u2014 but it is possible to align on formats and requirements for the data sets and prepare existing information accordingly.<\/p>\n
Starting early not only means being ready sooner, but also results in less duplication of work later on. From the moment of alignment, new data can be entered \u201ccorrectly\u201d from the start. This immediately frees up capacity for activities that create real value \u2014 for example, additional cross-selling activities.<\/p>\n
The voice of IT is often critical. That\u2019s true. And the word \u201cunfortunately\u201d is deliberately omitted here. IT is responsible for digitally supporting and automating complex processes \u2014 as quickly, smoothly, and error-free as possible.<\/p>\n
To achieve this, IT must inevitably pay attention to detail. IT needs a special eye for exceptional situations \u2014 even if they rarely occur. But sooner or later they will, usually without warning.<\/p>\n
This critical mindset should not be demonized. IT \u2014 in the role of advocate diaboli \u2014 identifies stumbling blocks. And if you let them, they will develop solutions to remove those obstacles in good time.<\/p>\n
An IT department constantly in firefighter mode is busy fixing problems that have arisen and cleaning up afterwards. What\u2019s often missing then is the time to calmly develop viable solutions to complex challenges.<\/p>\n
Creative hacks can\u2019t be forced \u2014 and certainly not rushed. Sometimes it\u2019s enough to give IT an extra week and the freedom to devise a thoughtful, sustainable solution. In the end, this usually saves both time and money.<\/p>\n
If employees are already electronically connected on Day One, this significantly enhances collaboration. Anyone can find and contact anyone \u2014 across locations and company boundaries \u2014 thanks to email and video conferencing.<\/p>\n
The prerequisite, however, is that contact details are easy to find. If you have to hunt for email addresses in the target company, you might not get invited to the meeting at all.<\/p>\n
Mutual access to intranets also supports cultural integration. It offers insights into the \u201cothers\u201d, allows differences to be perceived and shared values to be discovered.<\/p>\n
IT can build bridges between old and new. Much is possible \u2014 if you involve them early and give them the necessary freedom they need. So far, this applies to any integration.<\/p>\n
Buy & Build can only reach its full potential on a sustainable platform. This requires a powerful organization with efficient, stable processes \u2014 which, in turn, depend on a solid IT foundation: a modular, scalable IT application landscape.<\/p>\n
This calls for preparation \u2014 and, above all, the early integration of IT into the strategic planning of the Buy & Build strategy. If IT is not built-to-buy, this foundation on which everything else depends is missing. Even the most creative platform architect cannot build a resilient structure in this case \u2014 only a fragile conglomerate that will eventually collapse.<\/p>\n
If the goal goes beyond \u201cmore of the same\u201d, scalable processes alone are no longer sufficient. That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical to consider modularity from the very beginning. How can AI agents take over core processes if the underlying data isn\u2019t consistent? For example, if boreholes are measured in centimetres in one company and in inches in another?<\/p>\n
IT that is deeply embedded in business processes and has a strong understanding of the business, can unlock additional synergies \u2014 not just to boost efficiency, but also to enable growth and innovation.<\/p>\n
A built-to-buy IT department knows its application landscape inside out \u2014 and also has control over modifications and extensions. If the hedgehog hadn\u2019t known the map, how could it have reached the finish line before the hare?<\/p>\n
IT is not slow \u2014 it is thorough. Who wants an invoice showing the wrong VAT rate or a customer receiving the wrong delivery just because both recipients happen to be named Meyer?<\/p>\n
One possible solution for the role of IT in Buy & Build projects lies \u2014 quite fabulously \u2014 in Buxtehude. The fairy tale \u201cDat Wettlopen twischen den Hasen un den Swinegel up de l\u00fctje Heide bi Buxtehude\u201d (Brothers Grimm, 1843) offers the idea: How can the hedgehog always be at the finish line?<\/p>\n
Quite simply: it is in both places at the same time. One part of IT ensures the stable operation of existing systems (\u201crun the platform\u201d), while another part actively develops the platform and is involved in M&A transactions from the very beginning (\u201cbuild & integrate the platform\u201d).<\/p>\n
Regular exchanges between these two teams are essential. Only then can they learn from one another and continuously improve the platform. \u201c...and they both went home happy with each other: and if they didn\u2019t die...\u201d<\/p>\n
In Buy & Build Projekten entscheidet nicht die Geschwindigkeit des ersten Zukaufs \u2013 sondern die Konsistenz des vierten. Wer bis dahin keine belastbare Plattform aufgebaut hat, rennt zwar mit hoher Geschwindigkeit \u2013 aber eben im Kreis. Und bricht irgendwann ersch\u00f6pft zusammen.<\/p>\n
And IT?
\nThey were already there \u2014
\nif you ask them in time.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
M\u00e4rchenstunde mit Systemstau Der Hase sprintet \u2013 doch der Igel sitzt bereits am Ziel. Der Hase ist nicht nur v\u00f6llig au\u00dfer Atem, sondern auch au\u00dfer sich vor \u00c4rger. \u201eMir macht das nichts\u201c, sagt der Igel nur, \u201eich bin schon hier.\u201c So wiederholt sich das ganze Spiel dreiundsiebzigmal. Doch beim vierundsiebzigsten Mal schafft es der Hase […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40,54],"tags":[59,52,46],"class_list":["post-3012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insight","category-newsroom","tag-buy-and-build","tag-pmi","tag-post-merger-integration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3014,"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3012\/revisions\/3014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardt-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}