What a new COO should do in the first 90 days

Executive overview

Most new COOs arrive and immediately try to fix things. The right move is to do nothing for the first 30 days. The 90-day onboarding framework structures the transition into three distinct phases: observe, stress-test, then execute.

Do nothing first — understanding before action prevents costly mistakes.

Days 1–30: observe everything

• Sit in on every business meeting available
• Ask direct reports to blind CC on emails
• Go through training, talk to customers, sit in on calls
• Read operations manuals, policies, and playbooks
• Take breakfast, lunch, and coffee meetings to learn culture and history
• Keep a notebook: record observations, ideas, potential hires, fires, or role changes — but act on none of them

Days 31–60: stress-test your assumptions

• Revisit every item from the notebook
• Talk to multiple people before acting on any idea
• Example: "fire Bob" becomes "move Bob to a role where he'll excel"
• Validate whether assumptions were correct before committing

Days 61–90: execute low-hanging fruit

• Pick projects that are easy to launch, need few resources, and deliver lasting results
• Prioritise low "pain in the ass" factor with high return
• Early wins build credibility with the team
• Creates momentum to tackle larger, complex projects in quarter two