MyDay100 · The Operating Partner Weapon

Day 100 Plan
PE CFO Example

Deployed by a fund, judged on the deal clock: Day 1, Day 30, Day 100.

In most industries, the 30-60-90 is the standard.
For a PE operating partner, the horizon is Day 100: the same clock the deal team runs on.
Below, a made-up but realistic example for a CFO deployed into a portfolio company.

Day 1-30 · Diagnose Day 31-60 · Design Day 61-100 · Deliver

Why it works

Buyers see execution, not promises

A CV says what you did.
A Day 100 plan says what you will do, by when, with which deliverable.
Few candidates bring one. The ones who do change the conversation.

30days
Phase 01 · Day 1-30

Diagnose.

Listen first. Cash, covenants, reporting and the deal model: know exactly where the company stands before changing a single thing.

Cash and liquidity

  • Stand up the 13-week cash flow forecast
  • Review working capital: DSO, DPO, inventory turns
  • Map debt structure and covenant headroom

Reporting and controls

  • Audit the monthly close: days, quality, dependencies
  • Map reporting gaps against sponsor and lender requirements
  • Assess the finance team: capability, bandwidth, key-person risk

Value creation plan

  • Read the deal model and the VCP cold
  • Reconcile deal-model assumptions against actuals
  • Identify EBITDA quick wins and adjustment items
Deliverable30-day memo to the sponsor: liquidity position, covenant headroom, reporting gaps, Day 31-60 agenda.
YOUR NAME · PE CFO OPERATING PARTNER · DAY 1-30
60days
Phase 02 · Day 31-60

Design.

Translate the diagnosis into a finance architecture the sponsor, the lenders and the board can rely on.

FP&A architecture

  • Build the monthly reporting pack: sponsor and lender ready
  • Define the KPI tree tied to the value creation plan
  • Set the budget and rolling reforecast cycle

Controls and systems

  • Design the close acceleration plan: target five working days
  • Set the ERP and BI roadmap
  • Install cash controls and the delegation of authority matrix

Financing

  • Lock the lender reporting rhythm and compliance calendar
  • Build the working capital improvement plan
  • Prepare headroom scenarios for the next board cycle

Team

  • Draft the target finance org design
  • Define the hire or upgrade plan for controlling and FP&A
  • Set the finance operating cadence: close, review, forecast
DeliverableBoard pack v1 + 12-month finance roadmap, approved by the sponsor.
YOUR NAME · PE CFO OPERATING PARTNER · DAY 31-60
100days
Phase 03 · Day 61-100

Deliver.

The close runs on the new clock, the KPI pack reaches the board, working capital releases cash: the value creation plan starts to compound.

Execution

  • First monthly close inside five working days
  • KPI dashboard flowing to sponsor and board monthly
  • Working capital actions releasing cash against plan

Value creation

  • EBITDA bridge tracked monthly against the deal model
  • Finance playbook ready for add-on integrations
  • Synergy tracking live for completed acquisitions

Stakeholders

  • First quarterly lender report delivered
  • Audit and exit readiness baseline established
  • Deliver the first board-level CFO report
Deliverable100-day board report: financial foundation established, VCP tracking live, exit story started.
YOUR NAME · PE CFO OPERATING PARTNER · DAY 61-100

This example is fictional and realistic on purpose.
Yours gets written in Week 4 of the program: your fund, your asset, your value creation plan.
For the industry-standard version, see the 30-60-90 day plan example.