Set decision authority for integration work
Define the authority needed during integration, including decisions that cross workstreams or remain with the acquired business.
Separate interim authority from the intended model
An acquired business may keep existing responsibilities while systems, agreements, and management arrangements change. The integration plan needs to say who may approve spending, hiring, customer commitments, and policy changes during that period.
For each affected decision, confirm whether an existing delegation continues or a new approval is needed. The eventual organization design cannot by itself answer who has authority before the transition is complete.
Work through a dependency across teams
Consider a systems change that also changes finance definitions or customer terms. The systems workstream can prepare the proposal, but the scope of its authority may not extend to those other commitments. Its lead needs to know whose agreement is required and who can resolve a disagreement.
Use such requests to check the workstream mandates. List the matters each lead can authorize and the matters reserved for functional management or the integration sponsor.
Escalate a decision with the information to settle it
An escalation should name the unresolved choice, the available options, and the consequence of waiting. Send it to the role authorized to decide by the point at which it affects the integration plan.
Keep unresolved decisions alongside project actions. When a decision changes another workstream’s assumptions, assign responsibility for communicating it to that team.
End the temporary arrangements
Handover into normal management should identify the accountable role, remaining actions and risks, and the documents that govern the activity. Transfer or close temporary committees and approvals at the same point.
Transaction agreements and legal, employment, or regulatory requirements may constrain the sequence. Appointed advisers confirm those requirements; the integration plan records which management actions depend on them.