Once you’ve decided to proceed with an org merge post-acquisition, there’s no going back. Combining separate systems, data sources, processes, and resources is no small undertaking, and the logistics of such a project can get bleak fast: only 16 percent of merger orgs deliver on objectives in the planned time, with 41 percent of reorgs taking longer than originally planned (and potentially harming the newly grown company). A successful org merge of separate systems is all nice in stated goals and objectives, but it takes rock-solid logistics to truly execute. 

Let’s review three areas of logistics you’ll quickly need to address after deciding to merge multiple Salesforce orgs in response to M&A: the org merge project time, the scope, and the technical team executing the merge. 

Planning for project time

According to a survey of business managers, 64 percent believe that integration resistance is low for the top management levels and high for the worker level. However, research shows that poster-merger integration initiatives have resistance at all levels of the business, from top leaders to regular workers. It’s because of this resistance (and the sheer size of most Salesforce orgs) that org merge project time is often delayed and slowed down. 

While promotion and change management can mediate some of this resistance, it’s important to still plan a healthy amount of time for the project. Most companies need to allot months—not days—to assimilate an acquired Salesforce org completely. If there are multiple Salesforce orgs involved in the M&A move, particularly for different regions or business units, it may be best to split into multiple projects spread over a year or longer. 

Determining the scope of the org merge

In addition to planning for the org merge timeline, your company will need to clearly define the scope of the merge. Over 60 percent of executives report that their organization always has…

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