Template

The first-100-days stakeholder map

New CIOs lose their first month to inbound. This map inverts it: a fixed sequence of conversations with one question each.

Structure

  1. Days 1–10
  2. Days 11–20
  3. Days 21–40
  4. Days 41–60
  5. Days 61–100

The CIO’s first 100 days

Days 1–10 — Your own leadership

One question per direct report: what decision are you waiting on me for? Write down every answer verbatim; the pattern is your real backlog.

Days 11–20 — The executive committee

One question each: what has IT promised you that it has not delivered? You are mapping outstanding debt, not gathering requirements.

Days 21–40 — The operators

Service desk, NOC, the person who gets called at 3am. They know which systems are actually fragile, and nobody has asked them.

Days 41–60 — Finance and risk

What are we contractually committed to, and when does each commitment end? Renewal dates are leverage and they are always discovered late.

Days 61–100 — Back to the board

Three commitments with dates. Not a strategy deck.

How to use it

Copy the headings, delete the guidance, and fill each section with your own numbers. If a section is empty, that is the finding — write “not known” rather than removing the heading, because the gap is the most useful line in the document.

Pressure-test it before you send it.

Bring the draft to a table of eight peers who have written the same document.