Astonishment report after a CIO's first 100 days

To make a good CIO amazement report after your first 100 days in a new position, it's essential to ask relevant questions covering various aspects of your new position and the organization.

List of questions to ask yourself to structure your CIO report

Welcome and integration

• How did your integration into the company go?
• What facilitated or hindered the transmission of information and the fluidity of exchanges?
• What were the main difficulties you encountered when taking up your new position?

Information systems inventory

• What is the general state of IT infrastructures?
• Do current information systems meet the company's needs?
• Are mission-critical applications efficient and reliable?
• Are the security measures in place adequate?
• Is technical and functional documentation complete and accessible?

Team and skills

• What are the skills and motivations of your team members?
• Are there any skills gaps or training needs?
• How is the atmosphere and collaboration within the IT team?

Work processes and methods

• Are IT processes efficient and well-defined?
• What project management methodologies are used?
• Are change management processes in place and effective?

Technology and innovation

• Are the technologies used up-to-date and appropriate?
• Are there opportunities to integrate new technologies or innovations?
• What are the main projects underway and how far have they progressed?

Relations with other departments

• What is the level of collaboration between IT and other departments?
• Are the needs of other departments well understood and taken into account?
• How would you assess the receptiveness of other departments to technological change?

Challenges and problems

• What are the main technical challenges you face?
• Are any legacy systems causing problems?
• What safety risks have been identified?
• Are current systems performing satisfactorily?

Resources and budget

• Are current human resources sufficient to meet IT needs?
• Is the IT budget adequate?
• Are there any additional resource or budget requirements?

Actions and proposals

• What actions have you already taken to improve your Information Systems?
• What quick wins have you identified?
• What suggestions do you have for short-, medium- and long-term improvements?

Vision and strategy

• What is your vision for IT in the medium and long term?
• What are your strategic objectives?
• How do you plan to transform IT to align it with the company's overall strategy?

By answering these questions, you'll be able to structure a complete and detailed astonishment report, offering a clear vision of your perception and action plan as the new CIO.

Structuring your astonishment report in a clear and organized way is essential if it is to be understandable and useful to stakeholders. Here is a suggested structure for your astonishment report as CIO after the first 100 days:

Structure of astonishment report after 100 days

Introduction

• Name :
• Starting date :
• Report date :

1. Background and appointment

• Brief description of the company and its business sector.
• Reminder of the main responsibilities of the CIO position.

2. General comments

a. Welcome and integration

• Description of welcome and integration.
• Facilitating or blocking elements in terms of information transmission.
• Main difficulties encountered when taking up a new position.

b. Information systems

• Infrastructure: Assessment of current infrastructure.
• Applications: Review of critical applications.
• Security: Analysis of existing security measures.
• Documentation: Quality and accessibility of technical and functional documentation.

3. SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

Take the following 6 elements and detail them in the SWOT if relevant:

• Skills and motivation of IT team members.
• Robust, well-adopted technologies.
• Efficient processes in place.
• Potential areas for technological innovation.
• Processes or systems requiring improvement.
• Opportunities for new strategic projects.

4. Vigilance points and challenges

a. Technical challenges

• Problems associated with legacy systems.
• Safety risks and reinforcement requirements.
• System performance or scalability problems.

b. Organizational challenges

• Level of collaboration between departments.
• Receptiveness to technological change.
• Available human and budgetary resources.

5. First actions and proposals

a. Actions taken

• Quick wins already implemented.
• Strategic initiatives already launched.

b. Suggestions for improvement

• Short-term (3 to 6 months): Actions to be taken quickly.
• Medium-term (6 to 18 months): Planned projects and improvements.
• Long-term (beyond 18 months): Long-term vision and strategy.

6. Long-term vision and strategy

• Vision for IT in the medium and long term.
• Desired strategic objectives.
• Transformation plan to align IT with overall corporate strategy.

7. Conclusion

• Summary of the main points of the report.
• Next steps planned.
• Acknowledgements and contacts for further information.

This structure provides comprehensive coverage of all observations and analyses made during the first 100 days, while offering a clear and strategic view of future actions. Be sure to provide concrete examples and factual data to support your observations and recommendations.