Example: M&A Due Diligence Timeline
This is a redacted timeline from a real acquisition.
The buyer uploaded:
- 47 emails
- 12 board decks
- 3 contracts
- 8 Slack exports
- 2 financial statements
Risk Panorama placed them in chronological order.
No summarisation. No inference. Just sequence.
2023-04-12 · 09:34
Email — From: CFO → CEO
"The liability clause in Section 4.2 was flagged by legal. We're waiting on their revision before proceeding."
2023-04-15 · 14:22
Board Deck — Presented by CFO
Slide 8: "Outstanding legal issues: 2 unresolved. Target close: May 30."
2023-04-18 · 11:03
Slack — #deal-team
"Legal confirmed — liability cap still under negotiation. This may push us past Q2."
2023-05-02 · 16:47
Contract (revised)
"Liability cap set at $2M. Effective upon signature."
2023-05-29 · 10:15
Email — CEO → Board
"Deal closes tomorrow. All outstanding issues resolved."
What this reveals
Without the timeline
- —The liability issue appears resolved
- —The delay is invisible
- —The risk is understated
With the timeline
- —The issue was flagged six weeks before close
- —It remained unresolved two weeks before the target date
- —The "resolved" statement came one day before close
The question: Was the risk mitigated — or papered over?