Insight · M&A Integration
Two models, one number
Two models, one number
The Synergy Traceability Ledger
Can you trace the synergy — or just report it?
83%
fail to boost
returns · KPMG
returns · KPMG
Post-merger scorecards go green because they measure activity, not outcome — a migration "done" while adoption sits at 12%. Take each synergy line and ask the only question that matters: does it trace to governed work, or just to a board slide? Mark each line, and the un-traceable ones are where the value is quietly leaking.
Synergy lines · mapped to the GSDPI seams
Synergy claim & where it must form
Leading signal to watch
Traces to work?
G
Cross-sell revenueTwo demand front doors become one governed intake
Qualified pipeline from the combined motion — not logo count
Reported only
S
Pricing & margin upliftWhose thresholds and approval rules win
Discount floor held across both legacy books
Partly traced
D
Cost & headcount synergyMerged execution — systems and teams
Adoption rate of the new way, not migration %
Reported only
P
Retention of key accountsProof read where the value actually sits
Churn by revenue concentration, not the 92% average
Partly traced
I
Sustained value captureOne owner with authority across both orgs
Realization rate vs. target, owned and reviewed
Traced
The ETEGY read
Every "reported only" line is a synergy number with no governed origin — the "counted, not proven" failure with a nine-figure price tag. Acquirers who track synergy to governed work from day one succeed at 92%. A Zero-Based read reconciles both operating models at the seams; the Traceability Ratio then holds every dollar to its source. Read both models. Then prove the synergy.
See the full Insight & the Zero-Based Transformation (ZBT) Discovery → etegy.com/insights · [email protected]
© 2026 ETEGY · GSDPI™ is a mark of ETEGY. Figures per KPMG, Deloitte, and post-merger integration research (2025–2026). Ledger rows are illustrative. Citation ≠ endorsement.