A Transitional Service Agreement buys time. It doesn't, on its own, buy a separation plan - and the gap between "we have 12 months under the TSA" and "we have a tested plan to be independent in 12 months" is where most TSA exits quietly go wrong, usually long before the deadline makes it obvious.
Why TSA exits drift
- The exit plan gets written once, early, and never re-tested against reality
- Dependencies on the seller's systems turn out to run deeper than the TSA scope described
- Nobody owns the exit end-to-end - it sits between the buyer's PMO, the seller's IT team and the vendors serving both
- Business continuity risk gets assessed once, not tracked as the exit date approaches
What independent assurance checks for
Independent assurance for IT carve-outs and TSA exits exists to keep one thing true throughout: that the separation plan is real, tested and executable - not just documented - from the day the deal is signed through Day 1 and on to full separation, aligned with the deal value and business continuity both sides actually need protected.
A pattern we've seen work
On a regulated carve-out for GE Capital France, the 12-month TSA exit was delivered with zero service disruption. That outcome is the product of treating the exit plan as something to verify continuously, not sign off once and revisit under deadline pressure.
Our TSA Exit & IT Separation service provides exactly that independent assurance - from deal signing through Day 1 to full separation.