Titles such as vCIO, fractional CIO and technology adviser do not by themselves establish a person's responsibilities or independence. Read the engagement and ask who employs or pays the adviser.
Make commercial interests visible
- Who pays for the advice, and who approves the roadmap?
- Does compensation depend on products, projects or services you buy?
- Which recommendations could create resale margin or further work?
- How are conflicts disclosed and managed?
A direct answer helps you understand the arrangement. Disclosure does not by itself remove a conflict or establish independent judgment.
Examine recommendations, not just spending cuts
Select recommendations over a defined period and record their purpose, supporting evidence, alternatives, costs and expected outcomes. Include decisions to retain or retire systems as well as proposals to spend.
A lack of cost-reduction proposals does not establish bias. A growing business may need more capacity, and retaining an apparently unused item may have a documented reason. Equally, a saving is not automatically a sound decision if it transfers risk or leaves required work undone.
| Question | What to record |
|---|---|
| What problem does this address? | The business need and supporting evidence. |
| What alternatives were considered? | Options, including deferral where appropriate, and their consequences. |
| What commercial interest exists? | Relevant resale, referral or implementation interests. |
| Who decides and follows up? | Decision owner, agreed action and the evidence used to assess the result. |
Questions to ask in the next review
- What evidence supports this recommendation for our environment?
- What changes if we defer it, retain the current arrangement or choose another approach?
- Which assumptions and dependencies could change the expected benefit?
- How will we check whether the intended outcome was achieved?
Agree reporting and disclosure expectations under the actual engagement. Do not infer dishonesty from a question that needs further investigation or from a commercial term that has not yet been explained.
When a separate review can help
If leadership needs an external view, first identify the decision and the evidence to examine. Discuss who has advised on the work already and any limits to the reviewer's independence.
The Actually Review examines evidence within an agreed scope. Actually Leadership describes technology leadership as a separate engagement; responsibilities and potential self-review questions should be explicit.
For wider delivery questions, use the provider-evaluation guide. The ten-question checklist includes a starting question about who reviews the work.
