Technology strategy and roadmap
Understand the systems you depend on, the commitments already made, and the decisions coming next. Turn that into a prioritized roadmap with an owner for each item, dependencies and a sensible order of work.
Fractional CTO services · Metro Detroit and remote
A technology plan. Someone to carry it through.
I work with credit unions and small businesses that need senior technical ownership without a full-time CTO. I set priorities with you, coordinate the vendors, and do the engineering work.
What I take ownership of
Vendor management
Review proposals against the actual need, make responsibilities clear and follow the work through. You should know what a vendor is delivering, what your team still owns and how you will check the result.
Infrastructure engineering
Carry out agreed work on networks, firewalls, servers and cloud services. Plan the change, preserve a recovery path, test the result and document what changed. Larger projects are scoped separately.
Security and remediation
Turn technical findings into work someone can complete and verify. Keep a record of the original issue, the change and the evidence. For institution-specific work, see fractional CTO services for credit unions.
The first 30 days
Understand the situation
Review the environment, vendor commitments, open issues and business priorities. Agree on access and scope before making changes.
Set the priorities
Separate urgent work from longer-term improvements. Identify dependencies, decisions and work that needs a separate estimate.
Start the work and establish the record
Complete the first agreed tasks, check the results and establish a roadmap and regular planning conversation. The exact sequence depends on what the review finds.
The goal is a clear view of the environment and a plan you can act on. It is not a promise to finish an unknown backlog in a month.
AI implementation that starts with a useful task
I help teams choose a bounded workflow, connect the approved tools and test whether the result is useful. That can mean reducing repetitive administrative work or building an assistant around information your team is allowed to use.
We define which data it can access, which actions need a person and how to stop or reverse a change. We compare the result with the existing process before expanding the work. Read how I would plan a small-business AI pilot.
How the engagement works
Ongoing fractional CTO work is a monthly retainer with an agreed scope. We review priorities together each month. Capacity, response expectations, travel and availability are part of that agreement.
I am based at Michigan Central in Detroit. On-site work across Metro Detroit and remote work elsewhere are agreed around the job. Michigan businesses can work directly with the person responsible for both the decisions and the implementation.
What sits outside the retainer
- End-user help desk and routine support coverage.
- Hardware, software and licensing purchases.
- Large projects outside the agreed roadmap.
If you already have an MSP or an internal team, I can work alongside them with clear responsibilities. A fractional CTO and an MSP do different jobs.