Turn Each Known Risk Into Support and a Signal
The Known-Risk Plan
Companion to The CTO You Actually Need · Updated 2026-09-29
Complete one row for each risk the hiring team can name. The three rows below are examples.
| Risk | Evidence | Consequence | Prevention or support | Early signal | Review date | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate has not worked at our stage | Strong evidence at larger scale, limited resource-constrained experience | Overbuilding or slow decisions | Explicit stage mentor, runway guardrails, early customer immersion | Large program before problem proof | Day 45 | CEO |
| Founder boundary may remain unclear | Private escalations already occur | Shadow CTO and team confusion | Written decision rights, joint communication, CEO enforcement | Managers seek two approvals | Weekly first 90 days | CEO and board chair |
| Candidate lacks domain overlay | Strong base role, learnable regulation | Slow or unsafe judgment | Independent domain leader, training, review thresholds | Decisions made without required evidence | Day 60 | CTO and risk leader |