Product and technical decisions
Work through priorities, architecture and build-or-buy choices with the person responsible for the business. Test assumptions where a working example will help us decide.
Fractional CTO · Bern, Switzerland
Fractional CTO for your product and team.
I work directly with founders and teams to shape and build their product. We agree the technical responsibility I take on, decide what to build next and work on the software together.
When to bring me in
- You have an idea or prototype and need to choose a useful next step.
- Your product is growing, but architecture and delivery decisions need a clear owner.
- Your developers use AI and need a practical way to review, test and release the result.
- You need technical leadership alongside your founder, CTO or existing engineering team.
What I take responsibility for
The engagement can cover a product, a platform or a defined engineering problem. We settle the scope and decision rights together.
Implementation and delivery
Build with the team, connect the parts of the system and organise reviews, useful tests and releases. I remain involved in the actual work.
AI in the development process
Choose useful applications, connect them to existing tools and agree how people check the results. We apply the process to the project you are already building.
The team and the handover
Work through real changes with your engineers, record decisions and keep access and knowledge in your company. Agree who owns the system when the engagement ends.
A clear first step, then review together
Understand the situation
Bring your product, prototype or technical question. We look at the goal, current system and people involved, and choose the first problem to address.
Agree the scope and cost
Before work begins, we agree responsibilities, time commitment, cost and how to review the result. If a deeper assessment is needed, we scope and price that stage separately.
Build and decide what comes next
Review working software, decisions and remaining questions together. Further work follows an agreed next stage, with its own scope and cost.
How this looks in my current work
These examples describe my role and the work being done. Graftd and DanceConnect are ongoing engagements.
Platform engineering · Current engagement
Graftd
As Director of Platform Engineering, I work directly with the founder on the platform and product delivery. I build the engineering platform and bring individual tools together into a working product for architectural firms.
Working demonstrations and analysis of project data help evaluate the product and choose the next step. Development is ongoing.
The Graftd engagement →Product collaboration · Ongoing
DanceConnect
I contribute to the product and infrastructure with the DanceConnect team and help introduce work with AI agents into planning, implementation, reviews, tests and releases.
We work on the actual platform for dance schools, with the people developing it.
DanceConnect →Product development · Practical experience
Own and co-created projects
I develop projects including Tumbao and the Rumba ecosystem with the people behind them. The work connects product choices, software, integration and the use of AI tools in everyday work.
Building and developing these projects gives me practical experience to bring into client engagements.
The Rumba projects →Before we start
What does Fractional CTO mean here?
Technical leadership for an agreed part of your business and an agreed time commitment. I work with the founder and team on decisions and implementation. The responsibilities and decision rights are defined for your engagement.
Can you work alongside our CTO or developers?
Yes. I can take on a platform, a defined project or a difficult technical decision while your existing team keeps its responsibilities. We agree who does what before starting.
Do you write code?
Yes. My work includes implementation alongside architecture and leadership. The balance depends on the project and the team.
What does the engagement cost?
It depends on the responsibility, time commitment and work we agree on. You receive a defined scope and cost before work begins. An initial assessment can be a separately agreed stage; licenses and ongoing service costs are identified separately where relevant.
How is this different from an interim CTO?
An interim role fills a leadership position for a defined transition. A fractional engagement provides an agreed share of technical leadership alongside your existing organisation. We first establish which arrangement your situation needs.
What happens when the engagement ends?
We plan ownership, access and handover as part of the work. Your team keeps the code, documentation and decisions. Any ongoing support is agreed explicitly.
What do you want to move forward?
Tell me where you are, what is getting in the way and who is involved. You do not need a technical specification for the first conversation.