Introduction
As an engineering leader, you will occasionally be asked to evaluate a merger or acquisition opportunity. Industries and businesses have cycles of consolidation, and when your company considers acquiring another organization, you’ll be required to assess the engineering and product operations capability of the target company.
Most technical leaders instinctively focus on what we know best—the code and architecture. But successful M&A due diligence requires a much broader perspective. This series provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating acquisition targets beyond just the technical implementation.
Why This Matters
Failed acquisitions often stem from overlooked operational, cultural, or structural issues that become expensive problems post-integration. As the technical voice in M&A decisions, your assessment can mean the difference between a successful acquisition that drives growth and a costly mistake that drains resources.
The Complete Series
This guide is organized into focused articles covering each critical evaluation area:
Part 1: Operations Assessment
Essential operational capabilities and infrastructure maturity
- Infrastructure and cloud architecture evaluation
- Development operations and CI/CD maturity
- Security posture and compliance readiness
- Cost structure and operational efficiency
- Data literacy and monitoring capabilities
Part 2: People and Culture
Team composition, culture fit, and retention strategies
- Team composition and skill assessment
- Cultural alignment and integration challenges
- Geographic and regulatory considerations
- Retention risks and mitigation strategies
- Leadership transition planning
Part 3: Technology and Architecture
Technical debt, scalability, and architectural decisions
- Code quality and technical debt assessment
- Architecture scalability and modernization needs
- Technology stack compatibility and licensing
- Integration complexity and timeline estimation
- Innovation capacity and development velocity
Part 4: Business Integration Planning
Post-acquisition integration planning and execution
- Integration timeline and milestone planning
- Customer and product portfolio alignment
- Process standardization and tooling consolidation
- Communication strategies and change management
- Success metrics and progress tracking
How to Use This Guide
Each article in this series can stand alone for targeted evaluation, but they’re designed to work together as a comprehensive assessment framework. Consider:
- Pre-evaluation planning: Review all articles to understand the full scope before beginning your assessment
- Targeted deep-dives: Focus on specific articles based on your acquisition goals (acquihire vs. product vs. customer base)
- Team collaboration: Share relevant sections with legal, finance, and product teams for coordinated due diligence
- Integration planning: Use findings to inform post-acquisition integration strategies
Contributing to This Guide
This is intended as a living resource that improves with real-world experience. If you have insights from M&A evaluations, please consider contributing through comments or suggesting updates based on your experiences.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to colleagues past and present who have contributed insights, war stories, and practical wisdom that shaped this guide. The best M&A evaluation happens when experienced practitioners share what they’ve learned.
Complete Series: Start with Part 1: Operations Assessment for a comprehensive framework covering all aspects of M&A due diligence for engineering leaders.