A CIO's first 100 days: a decisive stage

The first 100 days as Chief Information Officer (CIO) are more than just a period of transition - they're a springboard for the future.
Catherine Meyer, CIO in transition specializing in business transformation, and an active member of the Infortive Community, shares her expertise on this critical period. Drawing on her many years of experience, she emphasizes the need for active listening, pertinent analysis and in-depth understanding, in order to draw up a solid and effective action plan. 

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"During these first 100 days, we listen, analyze, understand, measure, and finally conclude with a solid action plan."

His testimony sheds light on the importance of this period in generating buy-in from teams and customers alike.

Listening and immersion

When a CIO takes up a new position, he or she is intensively involved in the company's environment. This period should be devoted to establishing key relationships with stakeholders, including : 

• COMEX and major investors (if relevant)

• department managers, 
• IT teams,
• as well as a close relationship with the finance department, to provide visibility on investments, costs and risks. 

A thorough understanding of expectations, existing challenges, and operational dynamics is essential.

We also measure IT/business interaction, i.e. we evaluate the perception of IT services and interdepartmental collaboration.

The CIO's role at this point is also to show that he or she supports and seeks to stabilize the IT teams. The CIO must therefore verify the resources available, whether or not the teams are recognized, the training available, the interaction of the IT teams with the Business units, and talent management.

Analysis and understanding

The CIO needs to understand the company's culture, its ability to integrate change and take risks, and its investment cycles.

In this phase, it's important to understand the COMEX's vision of digital transformation (according to Ernst and Young, 88% of senior management consider digital transformation to be a major challenge, but how much are they prepared to invest). Understanding the company's strategy, its digital maturity, and the organization of its IT teams is essential.

The IT department is first and foremost an internal service provider, which must support the company's strategy. It is therefore essential to implement this strategy at IT department level.

To do this, we first need to understand the ecosystem.

As far as the organization of the IT team is concerned, we might ask ourselves:

• What are the day-to-day basics, maintenance requirements, user services...?
• How does the team organize its time, and on what tasks?
• What is the ratio of employees to subcontractors, and what are the results? 
• How is the project portfolio managed (method, decision-making, success measurement, etc.)?

With regard to the company's digital strategy and maturity, the analysis includes :

• Corporate Vision and Digital Strategy
• Technology adoption and innovation capacity
• Training and Skills Development
• Data management, is the data journey mastered within the IS?
• Are safety and compliance under control, with a clear policy that is applied in the day-to-day work of our teams?
• Does corporate culture favor change? Do innovators have the right to make mistakes? Are we accustomed to delivering regularly on a month-to-month basis?

Team collaboration and integration is key, both within the IT department and with business units, customers and suppliers.

The perimeter is often partial, and links are often weakened by a lack of time in the field, leading to notorious shortcomings in the quality of solutions. It is therefore important to re-establish these links.

Measurement and assessment

"Remember, you only improve what you measure!"

Catherine Meyer

It's key to find performance measures at the start of the assignment, to check that the indicators are reliable and usable, and if not, to go back to basics: time spent, budget and relevance of solutions and services delivered, user satisfaction. This makes it possible to set targets for improvement, and to supplement existing indicators, or to review their calculation. Indeed, the interim manager may be confronted with indicators designed to justify discrepancies rather than measure the current state of affairs.

Conclusion: astonishment report and action plan

Surprise report

After this period of analysis and observation, it's time to propose an astonishment report. This report includes the strengths and weaknesses of the IT department, presented with kindness and objectivity. It will form the basis of the action plan.

This report must include the alignment effort with the Business Units and be shared with the teams and Business Units before being shared with the Executive Committee.

This makes it possible to adjust the approach and get everyone on board.

This report will initiate a process of regular communication with teams, business units and the Executive Committee.

Action plan 

The action plan includes :

• Actions required to support the company's development, with a 3-month, 1-year and 3-year plan
• It will cover projects, as well as evolutionary maintenance. Indeed, the responsiveness expected today requires a real complementarity between different, but complementary, processes.

It includes measurable strategic objectives (transformation through projects, day-to-day service levels, etc.) and budget optimization.

The CIO is called upon to steer the architecture of the IS in order to simplify it and make it more scalable. He or she must balance the project portfolio and constantly inject "quick wins" into it.

A first version is delivered with the astonishment report, and then expanded over a 2-month period to arrive at a complete 3-year plan.

This action plan will demonstrate the CIO's added value, and will be demonstrated by the regular delivery of solutions in line with the priorities voted by COMEX.

The CIO will only add value by integrating teams and businesses, identifying allies and detractors, and building his or her network.

By the end of the first 100 days, an effective CIO should have established himself as a visionary leader, communicating and solving problems dynamically.

This role positions the CIO as a true strategic business partner. A proactive, creative solutions-oriented approach is essential to positively influence the company's digital trajectory and organizational strategy.

If you want to develop your skills and leadership to become a CIO, discover the CIO Executive training course, delivered by CIOs from the field for CIOs or future CIOs.