Technical consulting
Technical consulting and software architecture
Sometimes the deliverable is a decision, not a deployment. We do short, focused engagements: review what exists, find what will break first, and write down what to do about it in language a non-technical board can act on. No licence to sell, no incentive to recommend the expensive option.
A straight answer from someone not selling you a licence
Architecture review
An assessment of structure, coupling, data model and scaling limits, with the specific constraints that will bite first and what each one costs to fix.
Code & security audit
Dependency and vulnerability review, secrets handling, authentication and authorisation, input validation and data-exposure risk - prioritised by real-world impact.
Technology selection
Build versus buy, platform and vendor comparison, and total cost of ownership over five years rather than the first invoice.
Inherited codebase triage
Somebody left. Nothing is documented. We map what exists, establish what is safe to change, and get you to a position where the next developer can start on day one.
You probably need this if…
- Your developer left and nobody knows how it works
- A vendor quote arrived and you cannot tell if it is reasonable
- You need to decide between rebuilding and refactoring
- Due diligence, an audit or a funder is asking technical questions
What you get
- Written findings, prioritised by risk and cost
- Architecture and data-flow diagrams
- Remediation roadmap with effort estimates
- Technology recommendation with trade-offs stated
- Walkthrough session with your team or board
Everything we produce is yours, including the discovery document - whether or not the build goes ahead.
Technical consulting: common questions
Will you review software another company built?
Yes, and it is a large part of what we do. The output is factual and specific: what is sound, what is risky, what it would cost to fix. We are not looking for a reason to rebuild it.
How long does a review take?
Most reviews run one to three weeks depending on codebase size and access. You get the written report and a walkthrough session - and you are free to hand it to any developer you like.
Consulting: tell us what you need
Send a short description of the problem. You will get a straight answer on whether this is the right fit and what it would take.
A reply from a developer. Not a sales pipeline. The person who reads your message is the person who would do the work.
An honest answer on fit. If an off-the-shelf product solves your problem better than a custom build, we will tell you which one.
No obligation. A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Discovery output is yours either way.