Merger Integration Plans by Workstream: Where to Start

Begin planning by first reviewing the free Excel workbooks in this section (for Human Resources, Information Technology, Communications, Finance, Sales, and Legal) that each include these completed templates:

• Pre-Close Integration Plan is the single source of truth. Every pre-close task, every owner, every risk level, and every synergy dollar is documented here.
• Milestones is that same plan with almost everything stripped out — just the handful of checkpoints that mark major progress.
• Risk Register pulls a different thread out of the same plan: not what is being done, but what could slow progress.
• Next 14 Days is a rolling window into the Integration Plan rather than a separate list — whatever tasks have due dates inside the next two weeks.
• Executive Dashboard sits above all of it, a high-level view built entirely from the other four.

These documents act as a funnel. The Integration Plan is at the top with all the raw detail. Milestones, Risk Register, and Next 14 Days each extract one dimension from it — progress, risk, and time. And the Executive Dashboard summarizes all of it on one page.

This is an example of what integration planning and reporting looks like when started early and done right. Start with the merger integration plans below and tailor them to the specifics of your transaction.