Technical leadership and fractional CTO services for teams without a full-time CTO
Senior technical judgment for the decisions a growing company can’t afford to get wrong: what to build, who should build it, how it should run, and what it should cost. We work alongside your developers, your agency, or your leadership team, a few days a month or for a defined stretch, and we write our decisions down so they outlast the engagement.
Written for Founders, CEOs, and engineering managers who need a CTO’s judgment before they need a full-time CTO.
What we take on
- Technology plan tied to business goals
- Architecture and build-or-buy decisions
- Hiring and vendor evaluation
- Delivery cadence and release process
- Security, cost, and reliability reviews
- Board and investor technical questions
When part-time technical leadership helps
The common thread: technology decisions are being made, but nobody senior is accountable for them.
- Decisions wait on the founderDevelopers or an agency ask questions only a technical leader should answer, and they go to whoever is available.
- Proposals you can’t judgeTwo quotes for the same project differ by months and you can’t tell which one is realistic.
- A first engineering hireYou need to write the role, run the interviews, and know whether the candidate is good.
- Delivery keeps slippingWork is always nearly done, and nobody can explain why it takes longer than planned.
- Questions from investors or buyersDiligence asks about security, architecture, and ownership, and the answers aren’t written down anywhere.
- Your technical leader just leftSomeone needs to hold the decisions together while you hire a replacement.
What we own, and what stays with you
Technical leadership works when the responsibilities are explicit. We agree them in writing at the start.
| Area | We take on | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy | A technology plan that follows the business plan, revisited each quarter | The business priorities and the final call |
| Architecture | Design decisions, written decision records, and reviews of significant changes | Ownership of the code, repositories, and cloud accounts |
| Team and vendors | Role definitions, interviews, proposal reviews, and agency oversight | Hiring decisions and contracts |
| Delivery | Planning cadence, release process, and honest status reporting | What gets built first |
| Risk | Security, backup, cost, and reliability reviews with a ranked fix list | Budget for the fixes |
We don’t take ownership of your systems or accounts. Everything we produce lives in your tools, so another leader can pick it up.
Engagement models
Three shapes cover almost every situation. Many companies start with the first and move to the second.
| Model | Best for | How it runs | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership assessment | A company that needs a clear picture before committing to anything ongoing | A fixed scope over a few weeks: interviews, code and infrastructure review, and a readout | A written assessment, ranked risks, and a 90-day plan you can run with or without us |
| Ongoing technical leadership | A company with developers or an agency, but no senior technical owner | A set number of days each month, with regular check-ins and availability for urgent decisions | Decisions made and written down, a delivery rhythm, and someone accountable |
| Interim leadership | A company between technical leaders, or hiring its first one | A larger weekly commitment for a defined period, ending with a handover | Continuity, a hiring process, and a documented handover to the new leader |
How we price technical leadership
Every engagement is quoted in writing before it starts, and the quote follows the shape of the work.
| Model | Pricing basis | Changes and endings |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership assessment | A fixed fee for a fixed scope, agreed up front | Scope changes are agreed in writing before any extra work |
| Ongoing technical leadership | A monthly fee for an agreed number of days | Adjust the days as needs change; end with notice, no long lock-in |
| Interim leadership | A monthly fee for the agreed weekly commitment and period | Ends with a planned handover rather than an open-ended contract |
Building software is quoted separately. When we advise and also offer to build, we say so plainly, and you are free to use another team.
We quote after a first conversation, once we understand the decisions in front of you and how much senior time they really need. Often the honest answer is less than people expect: a short assessment and a few days a month, not a full-time hire.
The first 90 days
- Listen
Interviews with founders, developers, and vendors. Read the code, the cloud account, and the backlog.
- Assess
What exists, what is at risk, and which decisions are overdue.
- Decide
The two or three decisions that matter most, written down with their tradeoffs.
- Organize
A planning and release rhythm the team can keep without us in the room.
- Review
What changed, what didn’t, and how much leadership time the next quarter needs.
Good fit, poor fit
Good fit
- Software matters to the business, but you don’t yet need a full-time CTO
- You work with developers, freelancers, or an agency and want senior oversight
- You face a decision that is expensive to reverse
- You want decisions explained in plain business terms
Probably not a fit
- Software is your product and you need a leader for a large team every day
- You want a title on the website without the work behind it
- You need someone to manage people’s careers full time
- You need certifications or clearances we don’t hold
Not sure which you need? Our article on fractional CTOs for small businesses compares a full-time CTO, a fractional CTO, and a development agency.
Why Yippify
Yippify still builds and runs software, including our own products such as VeloWise and FedPath, so our advice comes from current practice. For a single structural decision, an architecture review may be all you need. When the plan calls for building, we can do that too, or help you choose and oversee another team.
Questions teams ask
What does a fractional CTO do for a small company?
They make and own the technical decisions a full-time CTO would: the technology plan, architecture, hiring and vendor choices, delivery process, and security and cost reviews, on a part-time basis. The difference is time, not responsibility.
How is technical leadership priced?
By the shape of the engagement. An assessment is a fixed fee for a fixed scope. Ongoing leadership is a monthly fee for an agreed number of days. Interim leadership is a monthly fee for a defined period. Every engagement is quoted in writing before it starts.
How much of a fractional CTO’s time do we need?
Usually less than people expect. Many companies need a few days a month, with more time around a big decision, a hire, or a launch. An initial assessment is the most reliable way to size it.
Can you oversee our agency or freelance developers?
Yes. Reviewing proposals, setting priorities, checking delivery against plan, and reviewing significant changes are a common part of the work, whoever writes the code.
Will you also build the software?
We can, and we say so plainly when we’re advising and when we’re quoting. Building is priced separately, and you are free to have another team do it.
What happens when we hire a full-time CTO?
We help write the role and run the interviews, then hand over: the decision records, plans, and access all live in your tools, so the new leader starts with context instead of guesswork.
Making technology decisions without a technical leader?
Tell us what you’re deciding and who builds your software today. We’ll tell you how much help you actually need, from a single assessment to a few days a month.
- Senior judgment, sized to your company
- Decisions written down in plain terms
- Clear about advising versus building
A rough description is enough to start. No specification needed.