What does a fractional CTO do?
A fractional CTO is senior technical leadership on a part-time basis. The work is architecture, roadmap, vendor choices, security, and a steady hand on the developers you already have. It is judgment, not typing. You are paying for someone who has seen how these projects go wrong and can steer you around it.
When is an agency the right call?
When you know what you want and need capacity to build it. A good agency turns a clear spec into working software. The trouble starts when the spec is fuzzy, because an agency is paid to build what you ask for, not to tell you that you asked for the wrong thing. If nobody on your side can judge the work, you will not know whether it is good until it breaks.
When should you hire a full-time CTO?
When technology is the product, or close to it, and there is enough ongoing work to keep a senior person busy all week. A full-time hire owns the outcome, builds the team, and lives with the consequences. It is also the slowest and most expensive of the three to get wrong, so hire for it when you are sure.
How do you choose between them?
Ask what is actually stuck.
- Stuck on deciding what to build, or on whether your developers or vendors are doing it right: a fractional CTO.
- Stuck on capacity to build something already well defined: an agency.
- Stuck because technical decisions need to be made every day by someone who owns them: a full-time hire.
They also combine well. A fractional CTO who writes the plan and reviews the work of an agency is a common and sensible setup.
What is the catch with a fractional CTO?
Availability and incentives. You are sharing the person, so ask how fast they respond and what happens when something breaks on a Friday. And ask whether they get paid when you buy what they recommend. We also build software, so we should say that out loud: it is a fair question to put to us, and to anyone else you are considering.
If you want to talk it through, the fractional CTO page explains how we work, and a call is free.
Frequently asked questions
Can a fractional CTO replace my developers?
No. A fractional CTO sets direction and checks the work. Someone still has to build it, whether that is your own developers or an agency.
Is a fractional CTO a good fit for a startup?
Often, when you need senior judgment on architecture and vendors but not a full-time executive yet.
Can I use an agency and a fractional CTO together?
Yes. The fractional CTO writes the plan and reviews the agency's work, so you have someone on your side who can judge it.