The Roll-Up Integration Playbook (2026)

A practical guide to unifying systems, data, and workflows across your acquired companies.

Integration level decision framework

100-day execution timeline

Integration audit checklist

System migration guidance (CRM, ERP, email, HR)

Training & adoption playbook

Ready-to-use templates

Who This Is For

You've closed another deal. Now you're staring at five different CRMs, three accounting systems, and a scheduling process that lives entirely in Dave's head.

Your board wants consolidated reporting by month-end. Your new employees are nervous about what "integration" means for their jobs. And you're wondering where to start.

This playbook is built foroperations leaders at small-to-mid cap roll-ups— COOs, Integration Managers, and anyone responsible for making acquired companies work together.

If you're running a roll-up / buy-and-build strategy with 2-15 acquisitions under your belt, this is for you.

Why We Wrote This

Most post-merger integration guidance falls into two camps: high-level strategy frameworks from consultants who've never migrated a CRM, or technical documentation written for IT specialists.

Neither helps the COO who just inherited five companies and needs to unify systems while keeping the lights on.

We built this playbook to fill that gap. It's the practical, operator-focused guide we wish existed when we started helping roll-ups with technical integration.

Inside, you'll find frameworks for decidingwhatto integrate, timelines forwhento do it, and guidance onhowto execute without destroying value or losing your best people.

What Makes Roll-Up Integration Different

Post-merger integration for roll-ups isn't the same as traditional M&A. You're not merging two mature enterprises with dedicated IT departments. You're absorbing smaller, often owner-operated businesses running lightweight tech stacks; Xero, Pipedrive, Google Workspace, and a lot of Excel.

The challenge isn't just technical. It's managing the human side: acquired employees who were promised "nothing will change," managers who built the current systems and take pride in them, and institutional knowledge that lives in people's heads rather than documentation.

This playbook addresses both. The technical migrationandthe change management that makes it stick.

chapters

Inside the Playbook

The Integration Imperative

Why technical integration is the hidden value driver in roll-ups — and what's at stake when it goes wrong.

Choosing Your Integration Level

The High/Medium/Low-Touch framework for deciding how deeply to integrate each acquisition.

Who Does the Work

Your options for getting integration done: in-house, contractors, consultancies, or integration partners.

Before You Touch Anything

The discovery and audit process that sets you up for success — including the Integration Audit Checklist.

The First 100 Days

The execution playbook: Day 1 priorities, the stabilisation phase, and core migration sequencing.

System Migration Essentials

High-level guidance for email, CRM, ERP, HR, and operational system migrations.

Training & Adoption

The human side of integration — digital champions, just-in-time training, and measuring adoption.

The Integration Toolkit

Checklists, templates, communication scripts, and quick reference materials.

Download the Playbook

The Roll-Up Integration Playbook (2026)

Who This Is For

Why We Wrote This

What Makes Roll-Up Integration Different

Inside the Playbook

Download our Free Roll-Up Integration Playbook