How We Engage

Three ways to buy senior advice. Each one has a defined end.

We scope to the decision, not to a headcount. Every engagement states up front what you get, how long it runs, and what has to be true for it to close.

Engagement Models

Pick the one that matches the decision you are facing.

Diagnostic sprint

When it fits: A decision is close and the evidence is thin. The board asked for a number nobody can defend, the cloud bill grew faster than the business, or a program is behind and the reasons given do not add up.
Duration and cadence: Two to four weeks. A short kickoff, a working session each week with the people who own the systems, and a readout to the executive team at the end.
What you get: A written findings pack, the model behind every number in it, a ranked set of moves with the cost and the risk of each, and the case for doing nothing priced next to the case for acting.
How it ends: It ends at the readout. There is no automatic next phase and no retainer attached to it. The models and working files are yours.

Advisory retainer

When it fits: The decisions keep coming and the technology leader wants a senior second opinion on call. Common through a modernization program, a cloud migration, a vendor selection, or a first year of AI adoption.
Duration and cadence: Monthly, with no minimum term beyond the current month. A standing session with the technology leader, working sessions with the team when the calendar calls for them, and availability between sessions for questions that cannot wait.
What you get: A short written position on each decision we are asked to weigh, and a quarterly summary the board can read that records what was decided and what it produced.
How it ends: Either side can close it at the end of any month. We hand over every model, document and working file we built.

Fractional CIO and CTO leadership

When it fits: The organization needs the judgment of a technology executive without a full-time seat. A CIO seat is open, a founder is still running technology alongside another job, or the function has outgrown the person leading it.
Duration and cadence: A defined number of days per month, agreed in advance and reviewed each quarter. We attend the leadership meetings and own the technology agenda inside them.
What you get: Ownership of the technology plan, the budget, the vendor relationships and the escalations. We also write the hiring case for the permanent leader and help you run the search brief.
How it ends: It ends when the permanent leader starts. We write the handover, brief the successor, and step out.

How We Stay Independent

Independence is a set of rules, not a claim.

We resell nothing. No software, no hardware, no cloud capacity, no managed services.
We take no commissions, referral fees or rebates from any vendor. Our fee comes from the client and from nowhere else.
We do not tie advice to an implementation contract. Once the decision is made you are free to run the work with whoever you choose, and we will help you judge the options.
We name the assumptions that would change our recommendation, so you can test them yourself instead of taking our word for it.
Every model, document and working file we build during an engagement is yours to keep.

Start A Conversation

Not sure which model fits? Describe the decision and we will tell you.

A principal reads and answers every note. If a two week sprint is enough, we will say that instead of proposing something larger.

ryan@barrierconsultinggroup.com