Technology Consulting
Some decisions are expensive to reverse: which platform to build on, whether to rescue a codebase or start over, whether the quote on your desk is reasonable. For those, an outside view from engineers who build software for a living is worth a few days of their time.
Our consulting is short and specific. You bring a question. We examine the evidence, which may be code, infrastructure, invoices or a supplier proposal, and answer in writing with our reasoning shown.
We also build software, so we have an interest. To keep the advice honest, the report is yours to take to any supplier, and nothing obliges you to buy the follow-on work from us.
Four kinds of question we answer
Audit: what state is this in
We read the code, configuration and deployment set-up. Findings cover security weaknesses, outdated dependencies, missing tests, backup gaps and parts that will be costly to change.
Architecture review: will this design hold
Before or during a build, we examine the data model, the boundaries between components and the expected load. We look for single points of failure and for complexity the problem does not need.
Build versus buy: should we write it or license it
We compare products on the market with a custom build across a multi-year period of ownership: licences, integration, customisation limits, exit costs and the upkeep of your own code.
Second opinion: is this proposal sound
You have an estimate, an architecture document or a rescue plan from another supplier. We assess whether scope, effort and technology choices are plausible, and what questions to ask back.
How a review proceeds
Scoping call
We agree the exact question, what evidence exists and what form the answer should take. You receive a price and a delivery range.
Agreement and access
Confidentiality terms are signed. You grant read-only access to repositories, cloud consoles or documents.
Examination
Engineers read, run analysis tools and, where useful, interview your developers or supplier.
Draft findings
We share a draft and discuss it with you. Factual errors are corrected. Conclusions are not softened on request.
Final report and walkthrough
The written report, followed by a call in which your team can question every point.
Contents of the written answer
Written for two readers: the person who decides and the person who must act on it.
- A one-page summary in non-technical language
- The question as agreed, and what was out of scope
- Evidence examined, with dates and versions
- Findings ranked by severity and by cost to fix
- File and line references for code findings
- Options, each with cost range and risk
- Our recommendation and the reasons for it
- What we could not verify
Moments when advice pays for itself
Before signing a large contract
A multi-year licence or a build quote deserves a technical reading as well as a legal one.
When a project is late
An outside assessment separates what is nearly done from what has not been started.
Changing supplier
Knowing the condition of the code helps you brief the next team and price the takeover fairly.
Ahead of investment or acquisition
Buyers and investors ask for technical due diligence. It is better to find the problems yourself first.
After an incident
An outage or breach raises the matter of what else is weak. A review answers it calmly.
Planning the next budget
A ranked list of technical debts, with costs, turns a vague worry into line items.
Is this the advice you need?
We can help with
- Questions about software, data, infrastructure and engineering practice.
- Decisions where the evidence can be examined in days or weeks.
- Clients who want reasons, not reassurance.
- Teams willing to give reviewers access and answer their questions.
We are not the right advisers for
- Legal, tax or regulatory opinions. Those come from your lawyer or accountant.
- Compliance sign-off. We can review against the requirements your adviser specifies, but audit and certification belong to your auditor.
- Penetration testing, which needs a specialist security firm.
- Business strategy, market sizing or fundraising.
About working with a consultant
How is consulting priced?
Per engagement. After the scoping call we quote for the defined question, and that figure is agreed before any work begins.
Will our current supplier know?
That is your choice. A review goes better with their co-operation, but we can work from repository and console access alone.
Do you change anything in our systems?
Not during a review. Access is read-only where the platform allows it. Fixes are a separate piece of work you may give to anyone.
What if the answer is that nothing is wrong?
Then the report says so, with the evidence. A clean result is still a result.
Can you review something built with AI coding tools?
Yes. Generated code is read in the same way as any other. We pay particular attention to access control, error handling and dependencies that were added without review.
Write the question in one paragraph
State the decision you face and what evidence you can share. Do not send code or credentials through the form. We come back to you within one business day.