CIOs lose budget battles when they frame requests in technical terms that executives must translate on their own. This article presents three reframing levers, risk mitigation, competitive positioning, and operational leverage, that align IT investments with executive evaluation criteria. The discipline of framing determines approval more than the merit of the investment itself.

Boards don’t fund technology… they fund judgment. This manifesto reframes CIO board reporting as capital allocation, focusing on risk retired, value protected, and momentum sustained. When CIOs shift from system updates to decision-ready signals, budgets stop being negotiated and start getting approved.