What should be the FIRST action of a new CIO when considering an IT governance...

A new CIO must first understand the enterprise’s context, including its corporate culture and how IT contributes to business value, to ensure that the IT governance framework is relevant and effective. The CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition stresses that understanding the organizational context is the foundational step for governance initiatives.

Extract from CGEIT Review Manual 8th Edition (Domain 1: Governance of Enterprise IT):"Before designing an IT governance framework, the CIO must understand the enterprise’s corporate culture, business objectives, and the role of IT in delivering value. This ensures that the governance framework is tailored to the organization’s unique needs and context.” (Approximate reference: Domain 1, Section on Governance Framework Development)

Understanding corporate culture and IT’s role in providing business value (option C) sets the stage for designing a governance framework that aligns with the enterprise’s goals and is accepted by stakeholders.

Why not the other options?

A. Develop an IT balanced scorecard to monitor and track IT performance: A balanced scorecard is a performance management tool, not the first step in governance framework development.

B. Verify stakeholder sponsorship of the IT governance initiative: Sponsorship is important but follows understanding the organizational context, as the CIO needs to know what stakeholders value.

D. Understand critical IT processes to define the scope of the IT governance framework: Process understanding is a subsequent step that builds on the broader organizational context.