Enabling Day-1 Transacting in a Four-Month Post-Acquisition Integration
A global cloud networking company needed embedded execution leadership to integrate an acquired business on a compressed timeline without disrupting operations. G1 delivered hands-on program leadership, cross-functional coordination, and data transformation oversight—helping the client achieve Day-1 readiness, migrate 25+ business objects across NetSuite and Salesforce, and go live with zero critical defects and no business interruption.
The Challenge
Operational continuity under a sensitive, time-constrained integration.
Our client, a global leader in cloud networking infrastructure, needed to establish transaction-close readiness for an acquired business within a four-month integration window and complete a rapid first-week cutover to the client’s platforms. Customer support had to be operational at close, while critical customer, contract, and support data was migrated immediately afterward so the business could be fully live in the target environment within days of closing.
The integration carried several layers of complexity. Because of deal sensitivity, only a limited set of stakeholders on both sides were involved for much of the program, constraining information flow and creating challenges for requirements gathering, data access, and cross-party alignment. The internal project team was also balancing full-time operational responsibilities, which compressed available bandwidth. At the same time, the data transformation workstream; one of the most critical paths in any post-merger integration; faced incomplete source data, legal restrictions on data access, and uneven source-system familiarity across the broader delivery team.
The G1 Approach
Embedded leadership, focused scope, disciplined execution.
The client needed more than project oversight. It needed a trusted leader who could step in immediately, establish structure, and drive execution across a complex, multi-party integration. Because G1 had previously delivered several high-profile initiatives for the client, the team was able to mobilize quickly, operate as an extension of the client organization, and accelerate from day one without a lengthy ramp-up.
Establish governance and operating structure
G1 stood up the program operating model within the first weeks, establishing Jira-based requirements tracking, workstream accountability, decision paths, governance cadence, RAID management, and a shared document repository with clear ownership.
Align scope to a Day-1 MVP
Given the four-month window and access constraints, G1 anchored the program on a minimum viable product for Day 1, clearly defining what was essential for the business to transact and operate at go-live. This focused energy on business-critical outcomes and helped control scope risk.
Run development and data migration in parallel
Rather than following a fully sequential build, G1 progressed development and data migration readiness in parallel, while sequencing final migration behind the necessary system configuration. This kept the program moving at speed without compromising Day-1 readiness.
Serve as the connector across all parties
G1 operated as the central coordinator across the client, the acquired business, the seller, legal teams, and the external data migration partner, ensuring dependencies were surfaced early and stakeholders stayed aligned on the critical path.
Drive through go-live and hypercare
The engagement followed a disciplined path through system integration testing, user acceptance testing, cutover planning and rehearsals, Day-1 deployment, and hypercare stabilization, with governance and documentation structured to support the business beyond go-live.
The Results
Day-1 operational readiness with no business interruption
The engagement delivered the outcome that mattered most: the client achieved transaction-close readiness, completed critical data migration over the immediate post-close period, and brought the business live in the target environment with zero critical defects and no business interruption.
Met the planned go-live date within a four-month integration timeline
Migrated 25+ business objects into the target environment across NetSuite and Salesforce
Enabled Day-1 operations across Quote-to-Cash, Procure-to-Pay, and Finance
Coordinated 400+ stakeholders spanning the client, acquired business, seller, and external partners
Achieved zero critical defects at go-live
Completed the transition with no business interruption
Established governance and handoff documentation to sustain operations beyond the project
“This project reinforced that clients do not just need oversight on high-stakes integrations as they need hands-on leaders who can establish structure quickly, stay close to the work, and keep multiple teams aligned from close through go-live. It also strengthened my belief that exceptional client delivery and firm scalability depend on strong operating foundations and a scalable operating model, not individual heroics.”
- Burton Roark, Founder & Managing Partner