What does a fractional CTO do?

Ongoing technology leadership without the cost of a full-time hire. Vendor calls, platform questions, roadmap ownership, and the things a business would otherwise sit on for a fortnight. The scope and cadence are agreed at the start.

What are the three tiers?

Essential, Recommended and Complete. Each covers a wider scope of involvement, and which one fits is set at the audit by the size and shape of your operation. Retained runs on a 12-month minimum, then rolling monthly.

When does a fractional CTO relationship not work?

When a business has not worked out what is actually broken yet. A fractional CTO relationship works best once there is a plan to execute, not before one exists.

Fractional CTO

Fractional CTO. Not a project. A standing decision-maker.

Ongoing technology and operations leadership, as a fractional CTO or fractional COO, without the cost of a full-time hire. The scope and cadence are agreed at the start.

Let’s talk about whether this suits you

A full row of embroidery thread cones in black, white, yellow, orange, red, pink, blue and green mounted on a machine's thread stand, every position filled. — Evidence · Retained
Stock that is always there

Three tiers

Essential, Recommended and Complete.

Each tier covers a different level of involvement. Which one fits is set at the audit.

Essential

A standing line for decisions as they come up

Vendor calls, platform questions, the thing you’d otherwise sit on for a fortnight.

Complete

Near full-time fractional COO: strategic and operational leadership

For a business mid-way through something big enough that it needs one person holding it.

12-month minimum, then rolling monthly. The scope is agreed at the start, and which tier fits is set at the audit by the size and shape of your operation.

Scale · DO-ART-204

Essential to Complete: the scale.

Each tier covers a wider scope and a deeper level of involvement. Set at the audit by the size and shape of your operation.

Straight answer

When it fits, and when it doesn’t.

It fits when

You’ve just finished an audit and need someone to own the roadmap that came out of it. You’re mid-way through a platform change and need one person keeping vendors honest. You’re scaling, and the systems that got you here won’t get you further. Or you’ve lost the person who held all of this in their head, and you don’t want that to happen twice.

It doesn’t fit when

You haven’t worked out what’s actually broken yet. Start with a Clarity Audit instead. A fractional CTO relationship works best once there’s a plan to execute, not before one exists. I’d rather tell you that now than take a retainer for six months of finding out.

See how a Clarity Audit works →

I’m not going to tell you what to buy. I’ll show you what’s on the market, what it costs, and where it falls short, so whatever you decide, you decide on the merits.

Craig Blackman · Decoded Ops

Let’s talk about whether this suits you.

An hour, no obligation, and an honest answer at the end of it, including if the answer is that you don’t need this yet.

Let’s talk about whether this suits you See the full price list