M&A Post Acquisition Integration

Project Overview

A global biotechnology company was acquired by our client who is a major pharmaceutical organization. As part of the post-acquisition integration, our client reached out to us needing help migrating all safety case data from the acquired company's systems into the parent company's environment. A critical component of the project involved transferring over 60,000 safety case records from the acquired company’s safety database into the parent company's database systems. The integration spanned seven specialized workstreams, with a focus on ensuring both inbound and outbound data continuity and compliance throughout the transition.

Capabilities: Agile project and program management, cross functional collaboration

Tools & Softwares: Microsoft Suite: Excel, Projects, Sharepoint, etc.

Industry: Pharma/ Pharmacovigilance 

Project Duration: 8 Months

Business Problem

Following the acquisition, the integration team faced a series of complex challenges in migrating safety data from the acquired company’s systems into the parent company’s infrastructure. The migration was constrained by a strict cut-off date, requiring all data to be transferred within a narrow window. Compounding the difficulty, the parent company’s systems were not yet fully prepared to receive the data, resulting in a two-month interim period during which outbound safety reporting still needed to be maintained. The migration involved over 60,000 records, creating heavy interdependencies across multiple workstreams. Unexpected technical issues, including a three-week delay in the overall Argus migration, further compressed the timeline and impacted downstream tasks. Additionally, discrepancies in data formats between the two companies introduced compatibility challenges, while the coordination of more than 50 team members across seven workstreams demanded continuous, clear communication to avoid bottlenecks and ensure successful delivery.

Proposed Solution

To address these challenges, Sabii implemented a targeted and agile response strategy. A retrospective validation approach was adopted to test new developments, ensuring they met internal safety and compliance standards. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the team executed an emergency mitigation plan to recover lost time from the migration delays, allowing workstream activities to proceed without compromising quality. Strong coordination practices were established to align the efforts of over 50 team members across the seven workstreams, enabling consistent communication and issue resolution. A temporary solution was also developed to support outbound safety reporting during the interim period when the parent company’s systems were not yet fully operational, ensuring regulatory requirements were met without interruption. Through diligent task management and collaborative problem-solving, the team succeeded in meeting both short-term operational needs and long-term integration goals 

Conclusion

Despite initial setbacks, the migration was successfully completed with all objectives met:

  • Ahead of Schedule: The transfer of data for one of the major workstreams was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.

  • Continuity Maintained: Both short-term and long-term solutions were implemented to ensure uninterrupted safety reporting.

  • Cross-Team Success: Collaboration among over 50 team members across seven workstreams led to a smooth and compliant data integration.

This case emphasizes the importance of agile project management, strategic foresight, and effective communication in navigating complex, large-scale data migrations during corporate integrations.