An interim manager has just 10 days to take full advantage of his or her assignment. This period is fundamental to achieving the objectives set by the company’s representatives. However, the success of this implementation phase depends on the context surrounding the manager’s integration. It’s up to each and every one of us to organize the preparations that will enable us to make a reliable diagnosis and define clear action plans.

Integration into the company is not the first step in their working relationship. While many things have already been defined, such as the roadmap, the objectives to be achieved and the current human structure, there are still many details to be worked out. It’s during these first 10 days that everything falls into place.

The quality of the integration phase depends on the urgency of the situation, the organization and the nature of the project. This start-up phase is specific to each mission. There are two reasons why a company might call on interim management services:

• Project management: mergers/acquisitions, carve-outs, job-saving plans, restructuring/turnarounds, IPOs/stock market listings, setting up an information system, creating a department, setting up an international business, or improving performance.
• Bridge management: when a key position becomes vacant, the company can call on an interim manager to guarantee the day-to-day continuity of the position until the replaced manager returns.

To facilitate the integration of the interim manager, the company must first inform the teams in place:

• From his arrival ;
• The nature and duration of the contract ;
• Responsibilities that will fall to him

From the outset, the company must provide the interim manager with essential documents:

• The company’s mission and values;
• Balance sheets and economic forecasts ;
• Human structure ;
• Product or service sheets;
• Data on the company’s sector of activity.

Lastly, meetings are to be scheduled with each Business Unit manager concerned by this appointment.

On taking up the position, the interim manager undertakes to immerse himself or herself in these documents. His many years of experience enable him to quickly make a precise diagnosis of the situation. He or she verifies the information already received and detects areas of risk or conflict. The interim manager must then measure the skill level of each employee, situate the decision-makers in each project and evaluate existing relational mechanisms. Who’s who, who’s doing what and who’s he working with?

At the end of these 10 days of discovery, the interim manager meets with the managers to establish or correct his or her work plan, set key milestones and build the teams needed to complete the project.