Agile M&A: Proven Techniques to Close Deals Faster and Maximize Value

Discover actionable techniques to close more efficient and successful M&A transactions.”

Founder and CEO of DealRoom

The book, Agile M&A, looks at how Agile, the project management technique that propelled Silicon Valley startups, can be scaled and implemented to improve the entire lifecycle of M&A while increasing value and closing deals faster.

21 reviews

who is this book for

This book is for corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) professionals seeking to improve their approaches to deal management for stronger, more successful outcomes

testimonials

"Through his book, Agile M&A, Kison provides a guide for deal professionals to implement scalable techniques that maximize deal value and drive operational growth for years to come."

Scott Kaeser
Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at GardaWorld

"Part case study, part textbook, Agile M&A is a manifesto for updating how we approach M&A. Using real-life examples, Kison Patel paves the path to faster, smoother integrations that are more likely to meet their financial and strategic objectives."

Klint C. Kendrick, PhD
Chair, Mergers & Acquisitions Roundtable

"A much-needed wake up call for an old school industry. Agile M&A is a go-to guide for M&A professionals seeking to better themselves, internal processes, and client experiences."

Burton M. Goldfield
President and CEO of TriNet

"Agile M&A not only shares the hard truths about the inefficiencies that M&A professionals face everyday, but also provides actionable solutions that can be implemented industry-wide."

Dawn White
Manager, M&A Integration - Corporate Development at Corning Incorporated

"This is the book M&A practitioners need to keep up with evolving project management practices and technologies. In the clearest terms, Kison provides the tools and takeaways necessary for more successful M&A transactions in today’s market."

Gireesh Sonnad
CEO of Silverline

"The practices outlined in this book provide a spot-on and thorough roadmap for improving the M&A process, with a particularly impressive emphasis on developing stronger frameworks for which to tackle complex integrations."

Drew Wolfe
Associate Director of Corporate Development at Mondelēz International

"The practices outlined in this book provide a spot-on and thorough roadmap for improving the M&A process, with a particularly impressive emphasis on developing stronger frameworks for which to tackle complex integrations."

Drew Wolfe
Associate Director of Corporate Development at Mondelēz International

"Agile M&A not only shares the hard truths about the inefficiencies that M&A professionals face everyday, but also provides actionable solutions that can be implemented industry-wide."

Dawn White
Manager, M&A Integration - Corporate Development at Corning Incorporated

"This is the book M&A practitioners need to keep up with evolving project management practices and technologies. In the clearest terms, Kison provides the tools and takeaways necessary for more successful M&A transactions in today’s market."

Gireesh Sonnad
CEO of Silverline

"Through his book, Agile M&A, Kison provides a guide for deal professionals to implement scalable techniques that maximize deal value and drive operational growth for years to come."

Scott Kaeser
Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at GardaWorld

"This is the book M&A practitioners need to keep up with evolving project management practices and technologies. In the clearest terms, Kison provides the tools and takeaways necessary for more successful M&A transactions in today’s market."

Gireesh Sonnad
CEO of Silverline

"A much-needed wake up call for an old school industry. Agile M&A is a go-to guide for M&A professionals seeking to better themselves, internal processes, and client experiences."

Burton M. Goldfield
President and CEO of TriNet

"Part case study, part textbook, Agile M&A is a manifesto for updating how we approach M&A. Using real-life examples, Kison Patel paves the path to faster, smoother integrations that are more likely to meet their financial and strategic objectives."

Klint C. Kendrick, PhD
Chair, Mergers & Acquisitions Roundtable

you will learn

What knowledge and practical skills you will achieve from this book

Agile Basics

The complete history of Agile and its advantages over traditional approaches to project management.

Best Practice

How large tech firms like Google and Atlassian are already applying Agile techniques to improve M&A outcomes.

Practical Tips

How to apply Agile strategies throughout a deal’s entire lifecycle — from the earliest stages of sourcing through the end of integration.

Essential Techniques

How to implement established Agile techniques like daily standups, priority backlogs, and retrospectives for stronger deal outcomes.

Smooth Transition

How to use change management strategies to help your company transition to an Agile project management style.

Kison Patel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kison Patel

Kison Patel is the Founder and CEO of DealRoom, a project management solution for complex financial transactions.

With nearly a decade of experience as an M&A advisor, Kison devotes his time realizing and building solutions for more innovative, efficient and people-driven M&A deals. Through technology, education and training, Kison aims to bring better project management to an industry with growing market pressures, transaction values and competition.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Agile M&A Practitioner’s Guide lays forth a new vision for completing M&A initiatives in the information age: the Agile M&A Process Model. Created by industry veteran Kison Patel, the Agile M&A Process Model advocates applying the “Agile” project management style first popularized in silicon valley to the M&A industry.

The Agile approach to project management is based around universally applicable operational values such as speed, flexibility, cross-functional transparency, and teamwork — values which are perfectly suited to highly dynamic, informationally complex undertakings like M&A.

table of content

What's Inside

01

Fundamentals

— The Case for Agile in M&A
— Agile & Traditional Project Management: Understanding the Difference
— Agile: A History
— Agile and Traditional: Quantifying the Difference

02

What is Agile M&A?

— Agile M&A: An Outline
— Agile M&A Core Principles

03

A Universal Framework for M&A

— The “Game Plan” Approach

04

The Agile M&A Process Model

Phase 1: Screening, Diligence & Close
— Pre-deal Phase: Scouting and Approach
— Integration: The Challenges
— The Deal Team
— Play #1: Project Kickoff
— Play #2: Standup Meeting
— Play #3: Priority Backlog
— Play #4: Team Retrospective

Phase 2: Post-merger integration
— Play #5: Parallel Planning for Integration
— The Post-merger Integration Plan
— Day One
— Play #6: Integration Kickoff
— Play #7: Multi-team Standup
— Play #8: Multi-team Priority Backlog
— Ending the Integration Process

05

Implementation Agile M&A Strategy

— Bring in the Experts
— Align Teams
— Align Tools
— Lead from the Top

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