Research

Publication Date: 15 December 2005 ID Number: G00135560

Creating a 90-Day Action Plan for IT Leaders

John P. Roberts, John Mahoney

Understanding the environment and deciding priorities is crucial for IT leaders in new
roles and a best practice for all. Creating a 90-day action plan will set the stage for
success.

© 2005 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction and distribution of this publication in any form
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Don't spend too much time on history. Look outside the IT organization as well as inside. Develop
an aggressive action plan that will deliver changes and results within the next 90 days.

ANALYSIS

IT leaders, particularly CIOs, have multiple constituencies. Not only must they manage IT staff
and deliver reliable IT services and projects, they must quickly come to grips with the
expectations of business unit heads and technology service providers, and create new tactical
and strategic initiatives. The appointment of a new leader often means that there is unfinished
business from the former one, and an agenda change to improve performance quickly. The
definition of requirements may not have been explicit in the interview and job offer process, and
some stakeholders were almost certainly not consulted. There may be other problems that were
not visible during the recruitment process.
A new IT leader must be prepared to:

• Quickly discover and prioritize initiatives

• Identify and create rapport with the important stakeholders

• Develop and communicate a new action plan

Even experienced leaders should make no assumptions when taking up new roles. Leaders not
new to their positions need to continually revalidate and replan their personal and organizational
contributions. This 90-day checklist will assist in that process. New CIOs and others considering,
or newly appointed to, IT leadership positions should start at Step 1. Others should start at Step
2.
Step 1. Before you accept and take up the new role, make careful due-diligence inquiries and get
prepared for Day 1.
There is much that can be done before Day 1. If you are offered a job in an organization that you
are not familiar with, don't accept the position until you have spent sufficient due diligence to
understand the challenges that you may be taking on. Spend one or more days interviewing staff
and managers inside and outside of the new department. The best time to negotiate on the
scope, reporting relationships and authorities of the role is before you accept the job.
A great deal can be accomplished at this earliest stage by setting appropriate expectations — for
example, understanding the expectations of business executives about the contribution of IT and
your role. If you don't have the experience and skill to quickly diagnose the IT organization and its
broader corporate context, seek help from someone who does.
Incumbent deputy leaders, or business executives moving to take on an IT leadership role, face a
different set of challenges than an outsider. Those promoted internally have a network of contacts
in the organization and understand a great deal about its culture. Their challenge is to establish
credibility in the new role and to escape the expectations, responsibilities and mind-set of their
previous job. Outsiders have challenges of understanding the corporate culture. Start building a
network inside and outside of the IT organization.
Use the time before you start the new role to review general management literature related to the
first 90 days in a new job.

Publication Date: 15 December 2005/ID Number: G00135560 Page 2 of 6

© 2005 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
Step 2. Getting started in the new job, understand expectations (Day 1 to Day 30).
In the first few days, you will meet many people — your new manager, direct reports, staff, peers
and customers.
Go into every meeting with prepared questions:

• What does the business need from the IT organization?

• How do you assess the performance of IT in terms of strengths/weaknesses?

• What do you believe are the most-important priorities for improvement?

• What communication processes are in place, and how effective are they?

• What does the preset meeting schedule look like?

• What briefings will you require on "hot topics" to quickly come up to speed?
Meet with your direct reports individually and in a team setting. Understand their concerns, their
priorities and their career aspirations. Which ones understand and can describe the bigger
picture? Which ones seem siloed in their views? Where do they need immediate help?
Plan and deliver a public message to all key stakeholders, including all IT staff. The message
should convey who you are, what you enjoy and your priorities. State when you will report back to
them with an update. Be visible. Good impressions, particularly first impressions, count.
Step 3. Checking the critical foundations (Day 1 to Day 20).
As a CIO, and often in other IT leadership roles, you are personally accountable for facilities
critical to the effective and lawful operation of your business. Ensure that you understand what
they are and verify that they are in order. Do this as soon as possible, generally within the first
month in a new job or a new initiative. If it needs more resources or expertise than you have
available, be prepared to engage outside help. The critical foundations include:

• Compliance with relevant legal codes and accounting standards (for example, the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, data privacy, cross-border data flows, health and safety)

• Effective financial controls

• Freedom from impending legal proceedings

• Absence of serious failures in service delivery or project performance

Read the latest internal audit reports on the department and talk to the auditors. If you are new to
the organization, flaws in these areas may have been invisible during the recruitment and
interview process. Even if you know the organization, it's wise to have positive confirmation that
the critical foundations are sound.
Step 4. Assessing priorities (Day 10 to Day 60).
A new IT leader must quickly establish the forward work program and validate that appropriate
resources and funds are allocated. If you want to undertake new work yet stay within budget,
some projects must be stopped and resources reallocated. The sooner that can be done, the
better. Get answers to the following questions:

• What projects and initiatives are in progress?

Publication Date: 15 December 2005/ID Number: G00135560 Page 3 of 6

© 2005 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
 • Are there areas requiring urgent attention?

• What is the status of expenditure vs. budget?

• How good is the alignment of IT activities with business operational and strategic
priorities?
Identify the most-important external suppliers. Assess their performance, the health of the
relationship and the status of their businesses. Importance relates to how critical this is to your
business and your risk exposure, as well as contract value and duration.
Use a tool such as Gartner's IS Credibility Curve (see "Plot Your IS Group on the IS Credibility
Curve") to do a quick check, and identify no more than three areas for early attention. Cover the
spectrum of people, process and technology. Consider areas such as relationship management,
governance, project office, IT quality of service, performance metrics, architecture, strategies,
available skills, career planning, sourcing maturity and portfolio management.
Finally, look at the IT organization itself.

• Is the structure appropriate to the intended deliverables? Does it assist alignment with
the business as a whole?

• Do the people have appropriate capabilities and experience?

• Is there an effective connection of responsibility, authority and incentives at all levels?

• Are there strengths in the organization that complement where you personally are
weak?
If there is a need for major changes in structure or personnel (cutting bonuses or downsizing the
organization), it is best to implement the changes earlier rather than later.
Step 5. Taking action (Day 20 to Day 90).
Time is critical. You probably have only about 700 productive hours to spend in the next 90 days.
How will you allocate your time? Inside the IT organization or outside?
Understand where you have autonomy to act, and where you need to build consensus through
the governance processes, formal and informal. You need to devote time to building relationships
with those who have power and those who have influence. Who are the champions of change,
and who are protective of the status quo? Can you gain the support of a mentor who will act as a
sounding board as you test ideas and develop strategies?
A communication plan that is well-crafted and executed will not guarantee IT organization
credibility but will go a long way toward building and sustaining positive relationships with
stakeholders (see "Gartner's Organization Communication Framework Supports IT Credibility").
Ensure that there are some quick wins so you can demonstrate success with clear performance
metrics to deliver further improvements. Recognize and reward your team for their contributions.
Step 6. Assessing and communicating progress (Day 60 to Day 80).
Block out time to assess your progress. Evaluate your leadership style. Identify what's working
and what's not. What are the biggest hurdles you must overcome?
Solicit feedback not only from your manager, but also from peers, business stakeholders and
your subordinates. Prepare a formal progress report: how have your objectives changed since
Day 1? List successes, failures and new opportunities identified.

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© 2005 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
Step 7. Preparing the next 90-day plan (Day 80 to Day 90).
Review Steps 1 to 6. Can you move from "firefighting" mode to strategy? How will you measure
success in the next 90 days? Communicate your objectives and priorities. Return to Step 2, and
repeat every 90 days.

Tactical Guidelines
• Assess, don't assume. Take nothing for granted, and validate every expectation.

• Create an action plan for the next 90 days with near-term deliverables.

• Identify reliable sources of information and advice; create effective channels of

communication.

• Update your action plan every 90 days, and communicate it.

Recommended Reading and Related Research

"What to Do If Your IT Department Is a Can of Worms"
"Ten Policies for a Well-Run IS Organization"
"The Avoidable Career Path of the Government CIO"
"Private-Turned-Public CIOs Must Acquire Different Political and Interpersonal Skills"
"Maneuvering an IS Turnaround"

Publication Date: 15 December 2005/ID Number: G00135560 Page 5 of 6

© 2005 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.
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© 2005 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved.