Accelerating the Close: How Information Governance Drives Faster, More Accurate Deals

In today’s high-pressure business climate, executives are expected to close complex transactions with speed, accuracy, and clear returns. But those goals are rarely achievable when a company’s information landscape is fragmented, outdated, or poorly governed. That’s where Information Governance (IG) steps in—not as a back-office compliance checkbox, but as a front-line accelerator of deal-making success.

In one particular study published in Information & Management (Vol. 57, Issue 7, 2020), researchers demonstrated that IG—when applied holistically—creates measurable value across every phase of the transaction lifecycle. Whether it’s reducing duplication, enabling automation, mitigating cyber-risk, or aligning internal stakeholders, IG professionals are essential to ensuring executives have the clarity and control they need to act decisively.

McKinsey & Company reinforces this view in Designing data governance that delivers value, noting that “a well‑designed data governance program is essential for maintaining data integrity and making better, faster decisions” in high-stakes environments.

Better Data, Faster Decisions

Executives thrive on clear, trustworthy information. And, accurate and up-to-date data is foundational to innovation and market responsiveness. Practically, this means that embedding IG principles such as structured data classification, secure lifecycle management, and enforced accountability drastically reduces the time spent searching, validating, or reconciling data across departments.

Moreover, McKinsey adds that organizations should “treat data governance as a strategic initiative, not a technical one,” and recommends targeting priority domains where data quality improvements deliver immediate impact—such as finance, legal, and customer data—all of which are central to due diligence efforts .

Cutting Through Redundancy

Eliminating duplicate or redundant data may sound mundane—but in reality, it’s a strategic game-changer. Data duplication, in particular, has been shown to stall innovation, elevate legal exposure, and weaken decision-making – and, in certain types of organizations, for example, healthcare, even lead to the loss of human life!

From a transactional lens, each extra document version, misaligned spreadsheet, and disconnected system introduces delay and ambiguity. By establishing clear protocols for data ownership, access rights, and de-duplication, IG professionals dramatically reduce friction, speeding deal review cycles.

We believe that shared governance structures and domain ownership are critical for streamlining processes and enhancing both executive and stakeholder confidence in an organization’s critical data assets.

Enforced Governance as a Transaction Enabler

Contrary to popular belief, strong governance accelerates rather than slows innovation. Tight control frameworks provide clarity on responsibilities, facilitating quicker, safer execution.

In M&A or capital transactions, compliance missteps—related to retention, privacy, or regulation—can derail deals or expose firms post-close. IG professionals ensure policies are enforced, audited, and operationalized, protecting executives from costly surprises.

McKinsey stresses that durable governance demands “clear lines of ownership, performance tracking via KPIs, and executive sponsorship,” which prevents governance from falling apart at deal speed.

Aligning Cross‑Functional Teams

Effective deal-making requires synergy among Legal, Finance, HR, IT, Operations, and Risk teams. Too often they operate in silos, undermining speed and accuracy.

Multiple studies emphasize IG’s relational and procedural elements: cross-functional coordination, shared stewardship, and stakeholder engagement are key to deal readiness.

IG professionals build shared governance frameworks, convene interdepartmental councils, and cultivate the muscle memory necessary for confident and rapid transaction execution.

Enabling Automation for Audit‑Ready Speed

When built on governance foundations, automation transforms deal execution. One study links IG with data quality and business process automation, noting that codified policies enable auto-classification, retention enforcement, and audit trail generation—allowing executives to surface critical documents in seconds. McKinsey reports that data teams using agile sprints in priority domains achieved 30%–40% faster data issue resolution—translating directly into accelerated deal timelines.

Defending Against Cyber Risk in Sensitive Moments

Another core issue is cybersecurity. During high-stakes transactions, cybersecurity exposure peaks. Data is shared across parties, and a breach can kill a deal and tarnish reputations.

This point was emphasized and quantified in Deloitte’s Beyond Numbers: Critical Role of Cybersecurity in M&A Deals: once deals are announced, cyber threats surge—especially for smaller targets with immature controls—and “80% of breaches involve a privileged account”

Deloitte recommends IG professionals partner with cybersecurity teams to drive standardized playbooks, prioritize remediations, embed zero-trust protocols, and align Identity & Access Management throughout the deal lifecycle. That integration reduces reputational, legal, and financial fallout.

IG Professionals: Stewards of Speed, Accuracy, and Liveable Value

IG professionals aren’t passive observers—they’re the architects of an environment where executives act fast, decide confidently, and defend every choice with rigor.

Through rigorous data management and governance, executives gain:

• Clear data and documentation to support due diligence

• Reduced duplication, accelerating review cycles

• Enforced compliance frameworks that prevent legal pitfalls

• Cross-functional alignment for seamless internal coordination

• Automated tools for instant access and audit readiness

• Integrated cyber-risk safeguards to preserve trust and integrity

These aren’t aspirational benefits—they are quantifiable, repeatable, and expected by stakeholders, regulators, and institutional investors

Conclusion

Information governance is no longer a passive support function—it’s an indispensable deal accelerator. Whether orchestrating a billion‑dollar acquisition or closing a time-sensitive divestiture, the presence—or absence—of mature IG practices can determine outcomes, speed, and reputation.

In a world driven by data, information governance isn’t a brake pedal—it’s a GPS system guiding executives to faster, safer, more precise results. And IG professionals are the navigators ensuring you arrive on target.

Sources

• Information & Management, Vol. 57, Issue 7, 2020

• McKinsey & Company, Designing data governance that delivers value 

• Deloitte, Beyond Numbers: Critical Role of Cybersecurity in M&A Deals