The problem
You have customers and revenue, yet margins stay thin. Engineering is often the biggest cost, and much of it goes to work nobody asked for: features no one uses, rewrites, slow processes, firefighting. I call this the engineering tax. You pay it every month without seeing the bill.
What I do
I find the engineering money that goes to things customers never asked for, and I move it to what they are asking for. Where it makes sense, I also automate the work your team repeats every week. Everything that can be automated, should be automated.
What I've done before
At sennder I spent a couple of years as a senior software engineer, then a couple of years as an engineering manager. The company moved fast and had a complex way of working. I led my team, at times two teams, and managed the expectations, constraints and requirements of 6 to 8 other teams, their managers and some directors.
When I took over, my team had very low morale and a poor reputation. It was failing at its responsibilities and causing incidents all the time.
Within a year it was a healthy, confident, productive team with almost zero reported incidents.
I've done this before, and I can do it for your team.
Ways to work with me
One-off consulting session. One focused session on one problem: a decision, an architecture question, a team issue. You leave with a clear answer.
Advisory retainer. Regular time with me to review decisions, plans and spending, and someone to call before you commit budget.
Audit. A look at where your engineering money and effort go, and a plan to move them.
Fractional CTO, hands-on. I work with your team and leadership for part of the week and own the outcome.
Tools for the job
Beamer, my company, makes Defusor. It finds the business, product and tech patterns that lead to engineering overspend, and reports them with a cost-cutting plan. I use it where it helps. Read the Defusor one-pager
FAQ
What does a Fractional CTO do?
The job a full-time CTO does, for part of the week: technical strategy, team health, spending decisions and delivery. You don't pay a full-time executive salary.
When does a company need a Fractional CTO?
When you have customers and revenue but engineering costs grow faster than results, delivery is slow or unreliable, or leadership can't tell what engineering is spending money on.
Can I start small?
Yes. Book a single consulting session, or an advisory retainer, before committing to anything bigger.
How much does a Fractional CTO cost?
It depends on how much of my week you need and for how long. A single session costs far less than a retainer or a hands-on role. On the intro call I'll tell you which fits and what it costs.
Will you work with my existing CTO or engineering lead?
Yes. I often work alongside an existing leader and back them up.
How fast will we see results?
The first changes usually come from stopping work nobody needs. That's quick. Team-level change takes longer: at sennder it took me a year to turn a struggling team around.