The idea behind it
A new CIO is judged early, often before they have seen most of the estate. This plan splits the first 100 days into four phases. Days 1 to 30 are for listening: the CEO, every executive peer and the IT leadership team, with nothing promised beyond follow-ups. Days 31 to 60 finish the tour with staff, users, vendors, security and audit, work through the assessment with evidence, and deliver the first quick wins. Days 61 to 90 turn themes and ratings into three to five priorities tested one-to-one. Days 91 to 100 are the readout.
Two tests keep the plan honest. The assessment rates each check on evidence seen, with not yet known as an allowed answer, so a confident briefing does not become a green rating. The quick-win test requires value of 3 or more, effort of 1 or 2, your own authority and low risk; a good idea that fails it goes into the priorities instead. The readout reports what you heard, what you found, what you have done and what you recommend, then the decisions you need, each with a date.
What's inside
- Four phases, listen, assess, decide and read out, and 12 milestones by day number.
- A listening tour guide for eight groups, from the CEO to vendors and audit, with who to meet, when, and four questions for each, plus three questions to ask everyone.
- An estate and team assessment of 32 checks in ten areas, rated green, amber, red or not yet known, with the evidence.
- A quick-win test (value 3 or more, effort 1 or 2, within your authority, low risk) and a log for every idea.
- A seven-section outline for the 100-day readout.
- An Excel version that turns the milestone days into dates from your start date, tracks meetings, follow-ups, ratings and quick wins, and counts each.
- A worked example for a fictional CIO starting on 2027-01-04.
Format: PDF (8 pages), Word document and Excel workbook.
A look inside
Pages 1 and 2 of 8 of the PDF. Select an image to enlarge it.
Who uses it
- New CIOs and CTOs, to plan the first 100 days and report progress to the CEO and the board.
- IT leaders stepping up to the top job internally, to reset relationships and assess the estate.
- Interim CIOs, to structure an assessment and a handover.
- CEOs and HR leaders onboarding a CIO, to agree what the first 100 days should produce.
When to use it
- The weeks before a start date, to book the first meetings and set the milestones.
- Day 1, to agree the plan and the reporting cadence with your manager.
- An internal promotion or a reorganization that changes who you report to.
- A change of CEO or ownership, when the technology agenda needs to be reset.
How to use it
Enter your start date on day 1, work the tour and the assessment through day 60, and use the trackers to build the readout.
- Enter your start date in the Excel plan and agree the milestones and reporting cadence with your manager.
- Book the listening tour, starting with the CEO, the CFO and your direct reports, and log each meeting's themes and follow-ups.
- Work through the 32 assessment checks with evidence, rating each green, amber, red or not yet known.
- Log every quick-win idea, apply the four-part test and deliver the first two or three by day 45.
- Turn the themes and ratings into three to five priorities and test them one-to-one by day 75.
- Send the readout pre-read by day 95 and present it on day 100.
You leave with: A record of who you met and what they said, an evidence-based rating of the estate and team, delivered quick wins, and a readout with priorities and the decisions you need.
Where it goes wrong
- Announcing priorities before the listening tour is finished.
- Rating the estate on what people say rather than on evidence, so the readout overstates or understates the risk.
- Treating large changes as quick wins, such as an ERP replacement or an organization redesign.
- Promising fixes during the tour and not tracking the follow-ups.
Get the plan
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Questions
Who should a new CIO meet first?
The person you report to and the CEO in the first week, then the CFO and your direct reports, then every executive peer by day 30. Staff, frontline users, vendors, security and audit follow by day 60.
What counts as a quick win?
In this plan, an idea with value of 3 or more and effort of 1 or 2 on a 1-to-5 scale, within your own authority, and low risk. All four must hold. Multi-factor authentication for all remote access might be urgent and valuable, but if its risk is medium it goes into the priorities with a rollout plan.
What goes in the 100-day readout?
Seven sections: what you heard, what you found, what you have already done, what you recommend, what it costs and when, what you need from the executive team, and the risks you are watching.