“A vendor sent a quote and I have no way to judge it.”
Is the price fair? Is the scope right? Should it be built at all? Nobody inside can say.
For CEOs, founders & boardsTechnology Decision Sprint
Know it is the right call before you spend on technology.
You do not need to understand the technology to make a good technology decision. We turn it into a plain, written business answer: what to do, what it will cost, what could go wrong — and whether you need to build anything at all.
- No technical knowledge needed
- Fixed fee, agreed upfront
- Written in business language
- Yours to use with any vendor
Decision summaryIllustrative example
“Should we replace our CRM?”
Our recommendationDon’t replace it. Configure the modules you already pay for and connect it to finance.
- Cost of the problem today
- ~$180k a year
- Recommended investment
- $35–50k one-off
- Replacing it instead
- $240k+ & 9 months
- Risk level
- Low–medium
First stepClean up customer data (6 weeks), then connect billing.
Sound familiar?
Six moments when leaders call us
Each one is a big decision being made with incomplete information. That is exactly when an independent answer is worth the most.
“My team re-types the same data into two systems.”
It works until someone is on leave — and the mistakes only show up when a customer complains.
“Our software no longer fits how we work.”
The business changed and the system did not. Every month brings another workaround.
“Everyone is pitching me AI.”
The demos look impressive, but nobody has shown what it would actually save.
“We are about to sign a multi-year contract.”
ERP, CRM, e-commerce or cloud. Choosing wrong costs years, not just the licence fee.
“My tech team wants to rebuild from scratch.”
It rarely turns out easier. A rebuild restarts the clock and usually brings the old problems with it.
Why it pays for itself
Deciding on a hunch vs. deciding with evidence
QuestionWithout a sprintWith a sprint
What does the problem cost us?×WithoutNobody has measured it✓With a sprintA number, in money and staff time
Which option is right?×WithoutWhatever the loudest vendor proposes✓With a sprintSix options compared on cost, time and risk
What will it really cost?×WithoutThe quote — and the surprises after it✓With a sprintA budget range plus yearly running costs
What could go wrong?×WithoutFound out after go-live✓With a sprintRisks listed upfront, each with an owner
Who owns the plan?×WithoutThe vendor✓With a sprintYou do — use it with anyone
How it works
Three stages. Very little of your time.
We do the heavy lifting with the people who do the work. You are needed at the start and at the end.
- 01
We listen
We confirm the real decision on a short call, then sit with your team to see how the work actually happens today.
Your time: one kickoff call
Covers: Scope the question · Map the current state
- 02
We put numbers on it
We work out what the problem costs you now, then price every realistic option — to set up and to run.
Your time: almost none
Covers: Price the problem · Compare the options
- 03
You get a clear answer
One recommendation, the risks, the budget and what to do first — walked through with you in plain language.
Your time: one briefing
Covers: Stress the risks · Recommend and sequence
What lands on your desk
Four things you can take straight to your board
Written documents, not a slide deck read aloud on a call. And you own all of it on delivery.
A one-page decision
What we recommend, in a sentence — and why the other options lost.
What the problem costs today
Staff time, errors, delays and lost revenue, turned into one figure.
Your options, side by side
Build, buy, adapt, connect, automate or stop — compared on money, time and risk.
A 12-month plan and budget
What to do first, what can wait, what it costs to set up and to run each year.
For your technical team — the full 12-part blueprint
- Current-state workflow map
- Business problem definition, in the business's own terms
- Systems inventory and how data moves between them
- Current-state cost model, with the assumptions exposed
- Build / buy / configure / integrate / automate / retire comparison
- Explicit recommendation, and why the other options lost
- Architecture direction and integration map
- Risk register, including failure modes and who owns them
- Security and data-handling considerations
- Implementation phases and a first-version boundary
- Budget range and an annual operating-cost estimate
- Twelve-month roadmap
No jargon
The six options, in plain English
Every sprint weighs the same six choices. Most businesses only ever hear about the first one.
- 01Build
- Have software made specifically for you.
- When nothing on the market fits how you win.
- 02Buy
- Subscribe to a ready-made product.
- When the problem is common and solved well.
- 03Configure
- Change the settings of software you already own.
- Often the cheapest answer — and the most overlooked.
- 04Integrate
- Make two existing systems share information.
- When people are copying data between screens.
- 05Automate
- Let software do a repetitive task, with people approving exceptions.
- When the work is high-volume and rule-based.
- 06Retire
- Stop doing it altogether.
- When the process outlived the reason it existed.
Independent by design
We will tell you when not to build
Our fee does not depend on the answer. That is the whole point of paying for one.
Advice to build, from a company that also builds, is only worth something if that company is willing to give the other answer.
Real recommendations from this work
- ConfigureSwitch on a module the client was already paying for
- IntegrateConnect two existing systems instead of replacing both
- RetireStop a process that existed for a customer who had long since left
- WaitHold off two quarters until the data was clean enough to build on
After the sprint
Three ways forward. All of them are fine.
Option A
Your team or another vendor delivers it
The plan is written to be handed over. That is a legitimate outcome, and it is priced as one.
Option B
We deliver it
The sprint becomes the project scope. Nothing is re-discovered and nothing is billed twice.
Nothing billed twiceOption C
You wait
Sometimes the honest advice is not yet. You keep the analysis, and it will still be true in six months.
Questions leaders ask
Before you commit
The first conversation is free and carries no obligation. Bring the quote, the contract or just the headache.
Book a 30-minute conversationDo I need to understand technology to use this?
No. The sprint exists for leaders who have to make a technology decision without being technologists. Everything you receive is written in business terms: cost, time, risk and what to do next. A separate appendix covers the technical detail for your team or vendor.
How much of my own time will it take?
Very little. A kickoff call at the start and a briefing at the end. In between we work with the people who actually do the work, plus read access to the relevant systems where practical.
What does it cost?
It is a fixed fee, priced against the scope agreed on the first call, because a single-workflow question and a multi-system platform decision are not the same piece of work. You get the number before anything starts. If the scope grows, we say so rather than invoicing the difference.
How long does it take?
It depends on how many systems and people touch the decision. A single process inside one team is short; a platform decision spanning finance, operations and fulfilment takes longer. We tell you the length on the first call, before you commit.
We already have a vendor and a quote. Is it still useful?
Yes, and it is one of the most useful times to do it. We have no stake in whether their proposal wins. We read it against your goals and your numbers and tell you where it holds up and where it does not.
What if I just want you to build it?
Say so. If the decision is already clear and well understood, we will take you straight to the build rather than sell you analysis you do not need.
Can I use the plan with another company?
Yes. The plan is yours on delivery, with no restriction on who carries it out. If someone else is a better fit for the work, the recommendation says so.
Have a technology decision on your desk?
Tell us about it in two minutes. An experienced engineer replies within one working day — in plain language.