OPERATING SYSTEM · FIRST 90 DAYS

The first 90 days as CTO
do not end with
a presentation.

They end with a mandate. Or they do not — and then for the next six months you professionally explain why everything is broken while they quietly test your political resilience.

28chapters
50+artifacts
6memos
14day return

14-day money-back guarantee · instant delivery · secure checkout

the shadow cto · v73
The 90-Day
CTO
Playbook
Mandate · diagnosis authority · budget
mandatediagnosisbudgetartifacts
the90daycto.comRU / EN
CEO CONVERSATION
"Here's what's manageable, here's what's not, and here are the three decisions I need today."

CTOs do not burn out over architecture

They burn out over responsibility without authority. The title is in the contract. The real mandate is not.

01 /

Borrowed conflicts

Product, Sales, and Finance bring old disputes disguised as technical work.

02 /

Responsibility without authority

The team expects decisions before the right to change the system is named out loud.

03 /

Late news

A problem becomes political not because it is bad, but because the CEO hears it last.

An operating system. Not a book about CTO in theory.

If after reading a chapter you have not completed at least one artifact, the chapter did not work. The value comes from a completed artifact in a real meeting, not from reading.

Buy the toolkit — $129

14-day money-back guarantee · instant delivery

28
chapters
50+
artifacts
6
executive memos
6
appendices
01
Do not break the system. Record everything.
02
Urgent work displaces. It is not added on top.
03
Decisions are framed as A/B/C, not as open questions.
04
A postmortem is not closed until the action ships or the risk is accepted.

The first 90 days run in parallel tracks

While you clarify the mandate, incidents, budget pressure, and team expectations are already moving. You cannot wait for the diagnosis to finish before starting everything else.

days 1–10
Mandate Contract, Stakeholder Map, Weekly CEO Update
days 8–30
Baseline, Access Audit, Engineering Health Scorecard
days 15–45
Quick wins, Delivery Review, Reliability Review
days 30–60
Decision rights, management layer, people decisions
days 45–75
Capacity Model, Roadmap Contract, Budget A/B/C
days 75–90
60-Day Memo, 90-Day Readout, Next 180 Days Plan

Ready tools you can put on the CEO's table

50+ artifacts across the book, workbook, and templates pack. Each one is a fillable template for a real meeting.

artifact_01.docx

CEO Mandate Contract

One page for outcomes, business pain, trade-offs, sensitive zones, and escalation path.

artifact_02.docx

30-Day Diagnosis

Baseline facts, key risks, safe quick wins, and the decisions needed from the CEO.

artifact_03.docx

Decision Log

Date, problem, A/B/C options, selected path, owner, and return date.

artifact_04.docx

Capacity Model

Real capacity after support, reliability, security, hidden work, and reserve.

artifact_05.docx

Roadmap Contract

Three to four quarterly outcomes, displacement rule, and checkpoints.

artifact_06.xlsx

Budget Request A/B/C

A resource request framed as accepted risk and price of inaction.

Choose your level of access

tier_01

Book

$39

For readers who want the system and chapter-by-chapter operating model.

  • PDF/ePub/Mobi
  • 28 chapters
  • 6 appendices
  • 14-day guarantee
Buy the book
tier_03

Playbook + Access

$399+

For leaders and teams that need a mandate review or working session.

  • Everything in Toolkit
  • Review / consultation
  • Contextual 90-day plan
  • Bridge into consulting
Request access

14-day money-back guarantee · instant delivery · secure checkout

Without theatre

No invented logos, avatars, or quotes. Trust comes from the product contents, the precision of the problems, and the guarantee.

01 /

No fake logos

We do not publish company names without permission.

02 /

NDA-safe format

Testimonials appear only in a form that does not expose people or internal context.

03 /

Structure over urgency

Free chapter and 14-day refund — because one strong testimonial with a number beats ten enthusiastic ones.

14 days to test it. No explanation required.

Sometimes the only right move for a strong leader is to see by day 60 that the mandate was dishonest, and leave on their own terms. If the book did not help you prepare that conversation — we will refund you.

Instant delivery · PDF/ePub/Mobi · secure checkout

Frequent questions

Is this about architecture?+
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The first 72 hours

A compact first-evening pack: startup checklist, 3 templates, and chapter 10: The Day-30 Diagnosis.