Acquisition readiness
A stakeholder & communications checklist

SAMPLE RESOURCE FOR REVIEW. General communications planning only; not legal, financial or transaction advice.

01 / Rationale & boundaries
[ ] Write the strategic rationale in three plain-language sentences.
[ ] Separate confirmed facts, assumptions and information that cannot yet be shared.
[ ] Identify the legal and regulatory advisers responsible for disclosure and approvals.

02 / Stakeholders & sequence
[ ] Map employees, customers, partners and other affected audiences.
[ ] Record each group’s likely questions and the relationship owner.
[ ] Agree who needs to be briefed first and the dependencies between briefings.

03 / Readiness & response
[ ] Prepare a question bank, including difficult questions and genuine unknowns.
[ ] Confirm spokesperson responsibilities, approvals and escalation contacts.
[ ] Rehearse a timing change or an early information leak with the relevant advisers.

04 / Beyond announcement
[ ] Assign communication owners to the next transaction milestones.
[ ] Set a process for tracking concerns and updating the question bank.
[ ] Review the plan when conditions, timing or stakeholder expectations change.