One of the biggest assumptions is that integrating common tools is fairly straight forward. You’re using Salesforce? We’re using Salesforce! You’re using Jira, we’re using Jira. etc.

Just because the vendor and the tool is the same, doesn’t mean it will be easy

In a much earlier post, I looked at the concept of the address book and how it has changed over time and between types of users users. The underlying point is how the data is stored and organized gives the data both meaning and complexity.

Understanding this nuance is the key pre-requisite to any migration effort. Without it, you will not be able to incorporate the data and there will be gaps. Some could be specific to customer records and reconstructed over time. Others, such as missing deals in your sales pipeline, will have a material impact on your current metrics not to mention financial reporting.

Getting to this point requires acknowledging that some prep work and analysis must be included as a part of the planning discussions, and not left as an after-thought for the integration team. Additionally, picking up on how your potential acquisition organizes and reports their data will give you clues into how they organize it and can be used to to define the intent which allows you to form the complete picture.