An outside agency or contractor controls most technical decisions.
Fractional CTO
Someone Needs to Own the Technical Side of the Business.
You may already have developers, an agency, a product manager, or a capable senior engineer. What may be missing is an experienced person who represents the business and stays accountable for the whole picture.
Codepoet’s founder works directly with you and the people building the software. Technical uncertainty becomes priorities, visible commitments, and decisions the business can defend.
Owner-side technical leadership
From $3,500/month- Direct access to Codepoet’s founder
- Technical and delivery oversight
- Month-to-month
- 30 days’ notice
When leadership is missing
The business depends on software, but nobody senior is accountable for it.
The problem usually shows up in several places at once. Delivery slows down, decisions drift, and the owner becomes the translator between the business and the technical team.
6common warning signs
The team needs direction and accountability, not another programmer in the queue.
Estimates are difficult to challenge and progress is difficult to judge.
Product priorities and engineering work keep drifting apart.
The company is planning a modernization, integration, acquisition transition, or serious AI initiative.
A founder or owner is spending too much time translating between the business and the developers.
Senior technical judgment tied to the business.
Direct senior involvement
The senior work stays with the person you hired.
Codepoet’s founder handles the technical leadership and participates in the meetings where senior judgment is useful. Clients have a direct way to reach him during normal business days.
COO Chaz Sherrill may support delivery operations, priorities, and project accountability. When implementation requires more capacity, Codepoet can separately scope developers and QA instead of hiding those costs inside the CTO retainer.
The retainer does not include unlimited meetings, unlimited development work, or guaranteed 24-hour coverage. It provides dependable access to an experienced person who can make the technical call and explain it to the owner.
30 years programming experience
25+ years running software businesses
Direct owner access
Choose the level of technical involvement the business needs.
Each plan starts with the result you should be able to see. Meetings and access are the delivery mechanism, not the product.
Advisory Partner
$3,500 per month
For an owner with a functioning team who needs better decisions and a clear view of technical risk.
The owner should gain.
- A short written account of current risks, decisions, and priorities
- An experienced challenge before major estimates or technical commitments are approved
- A roadmap and spending plan tied to the business instead of the loudest request
- A clear escalation path when the team cannot resolve a decision
Delivered through: one weekly owner meeting, one optional recurring delivery meeting, and direct business-day access for architecture, roadmap, vendor, estimate, and hiring decisions.
Does not include day-to-day project management, routine ticket administration, continuous pull-request review, feature development, or 24/7 incident coverage.
Ask About Advisory SupportOperating Partner
$7,500 per month
For an owner who needs someone to actively represent the business with developers or outside vendors.
The owner should gain.
- Visible commitments, blockers, ownership, and finished work
- One senior person resolving gaps between the business, team, and vendor
- An ordered response to delivery, architecture, security, and staffing risk
- A written operating view the owner can use without attending every technical meeting
Delivered through: everything in Advisory plus two or three selected leadership and delivery meetings each week, active oversight, vendor evaluation, hiring support, and executive reporting.
Hands-on implementation is estimated separately unless a small intervention is explicitly included in the monthly plan.
Discuss Operating SupportThe first operating period
By 90 days, the company should have a system for making technical decisions.
The goal is not three months of meetings. It is a visible progression from understanding the current system to operating it with clear priorities, owners, and evidence.
- 01Understand
First 30 Days.
A documented view of the software, people, vendors, immediate risks, and who owns each material decision.
Current state made visible - 02Operate
Days 31–60.
Fewer unresolved priority conflicts, visible commitments, and an ordered plan for the most important delivery and technical risks.
Decisions tied to owners - 03Prove
Days 61–90.
Evidence of what improved, a revised operating plan, and a deliberate decision about the leadership the company needs next.
Progress measured honestly
Plan the first 90 days as a wholeThe contract still remains month-to-month.
A clear operating agreement
No long commitment required.
The engagement continues only while it is useful.
The monthly plan and expected involvement are clear before work begins.
End or reduce the engagement without a long contract tail.
Scope and meeting rhythm are set before the month begins.
Material implementation, extended incident work, and requested travel are approved and billed separately.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions.
How is a Fractional CTO different from a project manager?
A project manager organizes work and communication. A CTO connects technical direction to the business and represents the owner in senior technical decisions. Chaz can help run delivery operations; Codepoet’s founder makes or advises on the technical calls.
Can you manage our current developers or agency?
Yes. The Fractional CTO can set expectations, review estimates and delivery, evaluate performance, participate in hiring decisions, and represent the owner in technical discussions. The exact authority is agreed with the owner.
Does Codepoet provide developers?
When it makes sense, yes. Development and QA capacity is scoped separately so the CTO role does not quietly become an unlimited development contract.
Is programming included?
The retainer includes enough technical inspection to make sound decisions. Small interventions may be agreed within the monthly plan. Substantial feature work or remediation is estimated separately.
Is there a long-term contract?
No. The engagement is month-to-month with 30 days’ notice. Codepoet recommends planning the first 90 days as a complete operating period because meaningful changes take time to land.
Do you provide 24/7 coverage?
No. Clients have a direct way to reach the person leading the engagement, and urgent production or delivery issues receive priority attention on a best-effort basis. Extended response or hands-on incident remediation is separately authorized.
Stop carrying the technical decisions alone.
Let’s talk about the team, the current pressure, and the level of involvement that would actually help.
Send a Message