How to Use Findings

At DealRoom, the Findings feature is a tool that can help M&A teams manage identified risks and issues, foster collaboration, and enable timely decisions for more successful deals.

Note: The Findings tab is visible by default to Admins. To control other users' permissions to view this feature, change this in the Permissions settings.

In DealRoom, by default we offer two types of Findings: Risks or Issues.

What is the difference between a Risk and Issue?

⚠️ Risk:

Definition: A risk is a potential problem that may or may not occur in the future. It represents an uncertain event or condition that, if it happens, could have a negative impact on the deal or integration process.
Nature: Risks are proactive in nature, meaning they are identified before they cause harm and are typically accompanied by a plan to mitigate or manage them.
Example in M&A: A company’s heavy reliance on a single customer represents a risk. If that customer decides to leave, it could significantly impact revenue.

⛔️ Issue:

Definition: An issue is a problem that has already occurred and is currently impacting the deal or integration. It is a realized risk or a newly discovered problem that needs immediate attention.
Nature: Issues are reactive, requiring immediate resolution to prevent further negative consequences.
Example in M&A: During due diligence, discovering that a target company is under investigation for regulatory non-compliance is an issue that needs to be addressed before proceeding with the acquisition.

Creating a Finding

Begin by entering the room and navigating to the Findings tab located at the top.
In this tab you can select each worklist from the left to see the findings that are associated with it or with the requests in it.
To initiate a new finding, click the blue New finding button positioned at the upper right corner.



A pop-up window will appear. Proceed to complete the required information for this finding:
Define the type: Risk or Issue.
Specify a title.
Associate the finding with a worklist and/or specific request.
Provide a detailed description.
Indicate the severity level: Low, Moderate, or High.
Determine the likelihood: Unlikely, Likely, Very Likely.
Assign relevant users to this finding.

Note: Tying a finding to a request is optional.

Click Create finding.



After creating a finding, you can open it to access additional details, add comments, or make edits.
In the middle section, you have the option to formulate a mitigation plan. This involves outlining actions to be taken in order to mitigate the identified risk, preventing it from escalating into an issue.



Tip: Findings information can be seamlessly incorporated into BI Reporting as well!

Edit Finding Types

You can customize finding types, similar to custom statuses of requests. To do this, follow these steps:
Click on Settings from the left menu.
Select General from the top.
Scroll down to the section titled Findings.
Click New Type +.



To edit or delete a finding type, simply click the edit or delete button to the right of the Finding.

With all risk-related findings documented in a centralized manner within DealRoom, workstreams can efficiently address and mitigate these risks, resulting in a smoother progression of the deal process.

Exporting Findings

You can export findings from DealRoom into an excel doc. To do this, follow these steps:
In the Findings tab, select the 3 dot menu at the top right.
Click Export to Excel.

Reporting on Findings

In Dealroom, you can leverage our BI reporting feature to effectively track your findings data, just as you would with other information from the pipeline, rooms, or requests.

Note: To create reports, you must have BI Editor access.

To create a findings report:
Navigate to the Reports tab on the left menu.
Click the three-dot menu in the top right corner and choose the Edit option from the dropdown menu.
Select the Add button from the top navigation bar, then choose visualization.
In the Explore screen, head to the Room Findings tab to start building your visualization.



If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.

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Updated on: 12/09/2024