The most important factors in executing an effective IT merger are selecting the right strategy, maintaining executive focus and completing the integration project quickly. It is senior management’s job to stay focused on the project, set appropriate expectations and priorities, allocate resources, and drive the pace of the merger. The strategic focus of executives must be unwavering. They must:

• Focus on strategic imperatives, including financial objectives, elimination of redundant resources, and governance issues; and the price of failure, including higher costs, lower margins, staff disaffection, lost opportunities and strategic drift.
• Rapidly identify and announce the senior management team that will govern the merged company.
• Develop a comprehensive integration plan before the merger deal is consummated, and stick to the plan.
• Allocate adequate resources and keep them focused on the merger project.
• Anticipate and recognize obstacles to progress and take action to quickly remove the obstacles, including making strategic decisions as issues arise.
• Establish a central executive body to manage the integration project.
• Encourage, support, and guide the integration project team.