Building a data-ops framework for M&A success

Data chaos is the silent killer of deal momentum. Spreadsheets piled high, KPI definitions scattered, lineage invisible—buyers spend precious weeks untangling your numbers. At Yuki, we champion a Data-Ops approach: treating M&A data like production software, with standards, ownership, and automation woven in from day one.

Pillar 1: Taxonomy & Definitions

• Standardize every metric (e.g., “Monthly Recurring Revenue” means invoiced ARR, net of churn).
• Catalog each data source with clear schema documentation.
• Version your definitions in a central repository (we leverage Git for tracking changes).

Pillar 2: Ownership & Governance

• Assign a data steward for each domain (finance, product, operations).
• Establish SLAs for data updates—no more waiting weeks for fresh figures.
• Audit changes automatically; every correction leaves an immutable trail.

Pillar 3: Lineage & Audit Trails

• Track transformations from source to dashboard: raw CSV → staging tables → BI reports.
• Visualize lineage graphs so buyers instantly see where each number comes from.
• Automate reconciliation checks nightly to catch drift before slide decks go to print.

Case Example: Carve-Out Acceleration

A European carve-out we supported had thirty siloed Excel models. By applying our Data-Ops sprint—two days of taxonomy alignment, three days of pipeline automation, and daily automated reconciliation—we cut data-prep time from 120 hours to 45 hours. The buyer’s team closed their model in a single week, and the seller beat process deadlines by ten days.

Implementation Roadmap

1. Kickoff Workshop (1 day): Align stakeholders on taxonomy and ownership.
2. Pipeline Sprint (3 days): Build lightweight ETL pipelines with open-source tools.
3. Dashboard Setup (2 days): Deploy a BI layer with lineage capabilities (we often use Metabase or Superset).
4. Governance Handoff (1 day): Train stewards on SLAs, version control, and audit workflows.

Data-Ops isn’t a one-off project—it’s a continuous practice that pays dividends in deal velocity, buyer confidence, and post-close integration. Embed these principles early, and you transform data from a bottleneck into a strategic asset.

Ready to operationalize your M&A data?
👉 Schedule a Data-Ops workshop with Yuki

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