🎯Interactive Checklist
CIO 90-Day Onboarding Checklist
Structured action plan for new CIOs and CTOs covering the first 90 days.
30 items0%
Critical items (marked ★) carry 3–5× weight. Weighted score reflects priority completion, not just volume.
Phase 1: Discover — Weeks 1–4
Listen, observe, and build relationships before drawing conclusions.
0/12
Schedule one-on-one meetings with all direct reports within the first week.
★ Critical
Meet with the CEO to understand expectations, priorities, and key challenges.
★ Critical
Meet with peer executives: CFO, COO, CMO, and CHRO.
Review the IT budget: current spend, variances, and full-year forecast.
★ Critical
Review all active IT projects and initiatives — status, budget, and risks.
★ Critical
Inventory existing IT contracts, vendor relationships, and renewal dates.
Conduct an introductory town hall with the IT organisation.
★ Critical
Review the current IT organisational structure and identify talent gaps.
Understand recent major incidents, outages, and their root causes.
Review the security posture, recent vulnerabilities, and any active threats.
★ Critical
Identify key business stakeholders and schedule listening sessions.
Document initial observations, impressions, and potential quick wins.
Phase 2: Decide — Weeks 5–8
Synthesise your findings and form a point of view on priorities.
0/10
Assess the IT operating model for effectiveness and fit with business needs.
★ Critical
Evaluate the current IT strategy against business goals and market context.
★ Critical
Identify 3–5 priority initiatives for the next 12 months.
★ Critical
Conduct a deep-dive on the highest-risk projects in the portfolio.
Validate the cloud strategy and assess migration progress against plan.
Review data and AI capabilities, current state, and roadmap.
Assess vendor performance and the value of strategic partnerships.
Develop preliminary organisational changes if structural issues are identified.
Prepare a 90-day update presentation for the CEO and board.
★ Critical
Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) for the IT function.
★ Critical
Phase 3: Deliver — Weeks 9–12
Begin executing, communicating, and establishing your leadership rhythm.
0/8
Communicate your IT vision and strategic priorities to the organisation.
★ Critical
Establish a governance cadence: steering committees, project reviews, and board reporting.
Implement or refine the IT operating rhythm: standups, reviews, and retrospectives.
Deliver at least one visible quick win that demonstrates early impact.
★ Critical
Finalise and communicate the IT talent strategy and any organisational changes.
Establish a technology roadmap aligned to the business strategy.
Agree on a cybersecurity improvement plan with the CISO and board.
★ Critical
Present the 90-day review to the CEO and board with findings and priorities.
★ Critical