[Jennifer Schram]

What are best practices for setting realistic synergy targets and measuring progress?
What are recommended approaches for tracking financial and operational synergies post-acquisition?
What case studies or examples would you recommend where synergy realization have been successful?

[Didrik Moe]

For me, it starts with the financial synergies identified in the deal thesis — both growth and cost. Those are the building blocks that make the merger make sense, so they need to be tracked from day one. It can include revenue, margin, headcount or people synergies, and it’s important to keep them visible throughout the integration.

Then, once the integration begins, we work with the teams to identify operational synergies — the low-hanging fruits and smaller improvements that will lead us towards the larger targets in the deal thesis. It’s often these smaller wins that create momentum and confidence early on.

The best practice for me is simple: keep financial and operational synergies connected, make ownership clear, and update progress regularly so people see the link between daily actions and the overall value case.

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