A consulting CTO multiplies the effectiveness of your team. Distributing deep experience to existing staff will help you dodge bullets and find the shortest path to your goals.
Also known as a Fractional CTO, or Part-Time CTO, this is a service for companies who need short term guidance and advice, but don’t have an in-house expert on technology, software, information, and infrastructure.
Who would use a Consulting CTO?
- Founders of startups use a Consulting CTO when they have business vision but limited knowledge of the technology needed to launch their company.
- Technology executives use a Consulting CTO when timelines are short and a project needs to be pushed ahead.
- Technology executives use a Consulting CTO when they want to supplement their own understanding of a new technology with additional knowledge and experience.
- Investors use a Consulting CTO for technical due diligence.
When should A Consulting CTO be Engaged?
Time is a valuable asset when launching a startup or new venture. Engaging a Consulting CTO on a temporary basis allows a company to move forward and gain traction in the early stages of technology development. The Consulting CTO can help vet permanent CTO candidates and aid in placing the right person in the role.
- A company can avoid project and strategic delays by using a Consulting CTO while searching for a permanent placement.
- A Consulting CTO can help uncover technology issues that a company needs to know about before selecting a permanent technology partner or hiring a permanent CTO.
- A startup may use a Consulting CTO to preserve equity and ramp up the company before securing early-stage funding and hiring a permanent technology partner or CTO.
What Can A Consulting CTO Provide?
- A Consulting CTO can help complete a business plan by estimating costs and timelines for the company’s technology development and deployment.
- A Consulting CTO can provide the help needed to draft the preliminary prototype that will be presented to investors and potential business partners.
- A Consulting CTO is an expert on the current state of technology, and can suggest the most appropriate development platform for a business. For the layperson, this means advice about “what software or technology to use,” but also guidance through software development, including advice about programming languages, software development methodologies, web application frameworks, software architecture, version control systems, etc.
- A Consulting CTO can help find and qualify a permanent technology partner, a lead software engineer, a user experience expert, a graphic designer, or a VP of engineering. They can help determine whether to outsource development (locally or overseas) or build an in-house team.
- A Consulting CTO is familiar with software development best practices and can establish quality standards for software architectures, coding conventions, documentation requirements, and quality assurance processes at the very beginning of a project, ensuring that the business scales with growth and survives investors’ technical due diligence reviews.