An activist may be trying to shake up one of the biggest banks in the world - here's what it takes to do it

Jeff Ubben and his activist hedge fund ValueAct have taken a $1.1 billion stake in investment bank Morgan Stanley, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission released Monday.

While it is still unclear if the stake is going to lead to an aggressive push for changes at the bank, Ubben is best known for shaking up giants such as Microsoft and Adobe. So it's not out of the question.

To get those changes, even if Ubben and ValueAct play nice, is a massive undertaking.

From preparation to building a stake to meeting with company management, an investment by an activist fund takes huge amount of time, money, and even showmanship.

So as we learn more about the ValueAct-Morgan Stanley investment in the coming days, here's a look inside everything it takes for such a huge gamble to pay off - or fall totally off the rails.