C A S E S T U DY

April 23, 2007

A New CIOs 100-Day Plan

Setting The Stage For CIO Success
By Lewis Cardin
with Alex Cullen and Lauren Sessions

EXECUT I V E S U M MA RY
When new CIOs start, they have to immediately create momentum and build credibility. High
expectations are held by the business community, senior executives, and the IT organization itself
and starting o on the right foot is critical to managing those initial expectations. To manage this initial
roller coaster ride, CIOs should create a First 100-Day Plan. In 2002, Maurice Chnier was a newly
appointed CIO for a recently formed IT organization in one of the largest departments in the Canadian
federal government, and his experience provides an excellent example of using the First 100-Day Plan
to build credibility. Now a Director General in the newly formed shared services organization, Chnier
attributes much of his success to the creation and execution of the 100-day plan.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Chief information ocer
YOU DONT GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION
CIOs face several challenges when they rst start. They need to get a handle on perceptions and
expectations, pending business priorities, and an understanding of the current condition of IT nancials
and human resources. There is a narrow window of time to get an assessment of what needs to be done
in the early days, and stakeholders are impatient for visible signs of action from the new IT leadership.
Faced with these challenges, the new CIO needs to determine what steps need to be taken in the short
term to get initial momentum, translate that into a plan, and get consensus among all stakeholders for
early action.
Maurice Chnier, the former CIO for Public Works and Government Services Canada, provides a great
example of how best to do this. In his rst days as CIO, he knew that he had to quickly get in front of
his stakeholders with an IT plan. Spending the rst few months absorbed in planning activity with no
tangible visible results wasnt going to cut it, and conversely, committing to a business plan, a strategic
plan, and an enduring organizational and governance model with clear mandates and accountabilities
within a few months in the role was impossible and irresponsible. Chnier knew that the rst 100 days
in the position were critical to his success, and he noted, The First 100 Days initiative is necessary for
CIO success. It is not an option.

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Case Study | A New CIOs 100-Day Plan

MAURICE CHNIERS 100-DAY PLAN

To esh out his 100-day plan framework, Chnier conducted briengs during his rst two weeks
that set the stage for creating and evolving a 100-day plan.
The purpose of these briengs was to:

Construct the agenda for the 100-day plan. Drafting the short-term plan template that made

sense to the execs formed the basis for Chniers dialogue. Like a plan for a plan, this framework
outlined high-level action topics and formed the basis for dialogue during the briengs. It also
set the measures of achievement for the 100-day plan with stakeholders.

Ensure that current assumptions were clear and valid. Chnier entered the role with a set of

preconceptions about where IT was, and where it needed to go, in the enterprise. Conrmation of
these assumptions with execs upfront meant no surprises during the execution of the 100-day plan.

Baseline current issues and opportunities. The business community had perceptions of what

needed to be improved in IT and where the prospects for IT impact lay. These needed to be
articulated in the plan as action items. The new IT organization itself needed to buy into and
contribute to the plan they, with the CIO, were a signicant source of intel on the challenges
to be met and opportunities to be identied and incorporated into the plan (see Figure 1).

April 23, 2007

2007, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Case Study | A New CIOs 100-Day Plan

Figure 1 CIO 100-Day Plan

~ From the desk of the CIO ~
Conrm CIO mandate Deputy Ministers
Develop functional roles and responsibilities
Value management oce
Program oce
Asset management
Strategy and planning
CoE Internet/intranet
Conrm linkages and relationships with IT client branches
Develop CIO organizational structure
Dene human resources requirements
Draft transfers-in proposals from other branches of the client department
People
Budget amounts
Prepare draft CIO/IT budget/nancial plan
Develop job descriptions for CIO and direct reports with human resources
Secure approval for nancial plan/budget/FTE requirements
Develop IT governance model
Conduct maturity assessments for knowledge management
Draft value management methodology including stakeholder consultations
required for governance
Conduct formal benchmark study

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Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

ESTABLISHING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE LONGER-TERM IT PLAN

Chnier used his 100-day plan to establish his initial priorities but its more important purpose
was to build a foundation for the longer-term IT plan and for his management approach. The 100day plan initiatives needed to be stated in measurable terms, and presented in a task and status
dashboard (see Figure 2). Chnier used the ongoing reviews on the progress of the 100-day plan
as the forum in which he worked with business execs to shape this longer-term future. The initial
discussions around inter-department relationships, governance, and the role of the CIO transitioned
into discussions of strategy, value, and the leverage of IT.

April 23, 2007

2007, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited

Case Study | A New CIOs 100-Day Plan

Figure 2 Executive Dashboard First 100 Days

Major activity

Completed

~ In progress

Not started

Progress

Meet all major stakeholders (internal and external)

Establish weekly CIO management meeting

~
~
~
~

Brief the Deputy Minister group on CIO role and governance

Document rst set of quick hits in a plan to be approved (set priority)
Perform an HR assessment
Initiate IT strategic planning
Deliver a CIO communication strategy

~
~
~

Pilot value management and priority-setting processes

Set up business and ICT management meetings
Organize CIO best practices refresh
Transition and scope down sector PMO and move toward enterprise PMO
Deliver a monthly progress dashboard
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Source: Forrester Research, Inc.

R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S

YOUR 100-DAY PLAN WILL EVOLVE INTO YOUR 1,000-DAY OPERATING MODEL
How new CIOs capitalize on the rst 100 days is pivotal. Precedent is being set, and initial
impressions are hard to change if the CIO has spent too much time focused inward, or appears to be
operating with no clear agenda. As the CIO who wants to build durable IT momentum, you should:

Let your business peers know you are listening. When you are taking the helm of an IT
organization, you must start on the right foot with your business peers. Youll need to learn
their hot button issues, such as frustrations with previous IT leadership or expectations for IT
responsiveness, because youll have your own requests for them which could range from
greater involvement in IT governance to asking for patience if you are in an organizational
turnaround.

Establish your management style early. Use the 100-day plan to also attune your
governance, mandate, and authority balance so that it lines up with prevailing management
style and corporate culture. Engage your business colleagues in discussion and debate about
the rationale behind your stance on the political aspects of your job and why your point of
view makes sense in terms of ITs contribution to the business. After the handshake, you will
have a strong supporter rather than a source of ongoing territorial dispute.
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