Smart Solid Solutions Book a call

ServicesFractional CTO

Technology leadership for a business with an IT manager
and nobody above them.

Most consultancies advise. We build. Smart Solid Solutions provides hands-on technology leadership at the level your business needs — working directly with your systems and suppliers, reporting into the board, and reading the code before they brief the board.

Book a Technical Review Call See what we do, week to week

The situation

None of these are emergencies yet.
Each of them is how an emergency starts.

The warning signs are usually already visible.

  1. An IT manager with nobody above them Good at keeping things running. Nobody senior deciding what should run next.
  2. A board briefed on what it cannot evaluate Technology decisions being signed off without independent technical scrutiny.
  3. A 100-day plan with an owner on paper Technology has an owner in the plan, but nobody doing the job.
  4. A CTO who has left The role is vacant and the team is reporting upwards into silence.
  5. A supplier relationship nobody is managing Contracts renew and invoices arrive, but nobody independently challenges delivery.

Where we sit

Above your IT manager.
Between the board and the technology.

We provide senior, hands-on technology leadership — working with your team, reporting to the board, and keeping suppliers, vendors and contracts under control.

Your business

  1. The boardClear technology reporting in every board pack
  2. Monthly
  3. Fractional CTOAbove the IT manager, not instead of them.
  4. Weekly
  5. IT managerRuns the operation
  6. The IT teamBuilds and delivers

External parties

  • SuppliersProgress tested against evidence
  • VendorsValue and delivery challenged
  • ContractsRenewals reviewed before commitment

The result

Fewer surprises. Better decisions. A more resilient business.

Choosing the right model

Fractional, interim or permanent.

Different needs. Different models.

Fractional CTO

Part-time · Ongoing

Senior technology leadership when the responsibility is real, but the role does not require a full-time executive.

Typical commitment
Part-time, on an ongoing basis
Best when
You have an existing IT team, need strategic direction and accountability, and want senior input without a full-time hire.

Interim CTO

Full-time · Temporary

Full-time leadership while a seat is vacant, a transition is underway or a defined programme needs an owner.

Typical commitment
Full-time, for a fixed period
Best when
The CTO has left, you are in a transformation or crisis, or you need someone to lead a specific programme.

Permanent CTO

Full-time · Long-term

A permanent executive when technology or the engineering organisation requires full-time leadership every day.

Typical commitment
Full-time, long-term
Best when
Technology is your product, the engineering organisation is large, or you are ready to build a permanent function.

Where Smart Solid Solutions fits

You may not need the model you started looking for.

Different situations. The same goal: the right technology leadership for your business.

  1. Looking for fractional?

    We’re a direct fit.

    We provide ongoing, hands-on technology leadership without creating a full-time CTO role.

    • Strategic direction and accountability
    • Board-ready reporting
    • Independent supplier oversight

  2. Looking for interim?

    We may fit if the need is part-time.

    If you need senior cover but not someone full-time, a fractional model can give you the right leadership without paying for a full-time interim seat.

    • Senior cover without the full-time cost
    • Keep programmes on track
    • Flexible as needs evolve

  3. Hiring permanent?

    We can bridge the gap.

    We can provide technology leadership while you recruit, then hand over cleanly when your permanent CTO starts.

    • Maintain momentum during recruitment
    • Board reporting and governance
    • A structured and smooth handover
If you genuinely need a full-time interim or permanent CTO, we’ll tell you. Our advice is always based on what is right for your business, not what is easiest for us.
Book a conversation

The cadence

What we actually do,
week to week.

Fractional leadership needs a clear rhythm without becoming rigid. We agree the regular cadence around your business — and adapt when the work demands it.

  1. A regular working rhythm

    Time shaped
    around the work.

    We agree a regular cadence at the start of the engagement, then adapt it around priorities, critical periods and the needs of the business.

    • Agreed upfront
    • Visible to the team
    • Flexible when priorities change

  2. Weekly with the IT lead

    Priorities, blockers
    and decisions.

    A standing working session to review progress, unblock issues and make the decisions that have been waiting. The IT manager keeps their role and gains senior technology leadership above them.

    • Priorities & blockers
    • Decisions that need ownership
    • Clear actions for the week

  3. Monthly with the board

    A written account
    and a seat at the table.

    A technology report in the board pack — risk, cost, delivery, decisions required — with us in the room to answer for it.

    • Risk, cost, dates
    • Decisions required
    • Time in the meeting to answer for it

The work doesn’t stop between meetings

Between the regular cadence, we maintain ownership of:

  • The technology risk registerKept current, not filed.
  • Vendor and contract reviewWhat each supplier is paid for, whether it is delivered, and what the next renewal commits you to.
  • Hiring and team structureRole definitions, interviews, and the case for or against the next hire.
  • Architecture decisionsWhat gets built, bought or retired, recorded with reasons.
  • Security postureThe controls that exist, the ones that do not, and the order to close the gap.
  • The board technology narrativeOne consistent view of risk, delivery and direction, written for the board and for investors.

This is not a slide-deck role.

We read the code before forming a view of the team that wrote it.
When there is an incident, we are in it, not waiting for the post-mortem.
When a supplier says something is nearly done, we look at the repository.

Every engagement follows The Five Gates, our framework for qualifying the work, establishing evidence and deciding when to proceed, change course or stop. See the framework

The engagement

Built around the business.
Not around a timesheet.

We start with a Technical Review Call, understand the technology estate and agree what the business actually needs. From there, the engagement has a clear operating rhythm — with flexibility when priorities, incidents or critical periods demand it.

  • Clear scope Focused on what matters.
  • Flexible capacity We adapt as your needs evolve.
  • Written ownership Decisions, actions and accountability.

Every engagement is scoped and quoted before it starts; there is no rate card because there is no standard job.

Common outcomes

  • Immediate clarity on risks and priorities
  • A stronger, more effective technology function
  • A smooth handover when the engagement ends

  1. Fit & Scoping

    Understand the need before defining the engagement.

    Technical Review Call followed by a structured review of the technology estate, the team and key suppliers.

    You getClear scopeprioritiesrecommended engagement

  2. Stabilise & Map

    Establish what is true.

    Immediate risks addressed. Technology, team, suppliers and commitments mapped.

    You getRisk registerteam & supplier viewboard technology narrative

  3. Ongoing Leadership

    Run the technology function at the level the business needs.

    Regular leadership with the IT team and board, with capacity adapting around priorities, critical periods and the needs of the business.

    You getDecisions ownedrisks managedsuppliers challengedboard reporting

  4. Scale, Exit or Hand Over

    The engagement changes when the business does.

    If the business needs more, we adapt. If it now warrants a permanent CTO, we can help recruit and hand over. If the need is complete, we exit cleanly.

    You getNo dependencydocumented decisionsstructured handover

Who you’re actually hiring

The person who does this work
has held the full-time version of the role.

The same person who advises the board can inspect the systems, challenge suppliers and understand the code.

Private-equity software group

Director of Technology across multiple portfolio companies

Over twenty years in engineering and technology leadership.

Full-time role

  • Board

    Technology strategy, budgets, delivery and risk reported at board level.

  • Leadership

    Engineering, cloud and infrastructure across multiple portfolio companies.

  • Teams

    Distributed technology teams across the UK, USA, India and Brazil.

  • And accountable for the result

    Technology decisions measured against the group's commercial performance, not against a delivery plan.
Up to 50
people in the teams led
US $6M → $20M
portfolio revenue grown

Through this consultancy, today

Independent oversight of an outsourced AI build

The same approach, applied in a fractional role today.2

Fractional CTO
  1. Supplier Builds the AI product
  2. Smart Solid Solutions Independent oversight and challenge
  3. Board Evidence-based reporting

  • Challenge

    Supplier claims checked against evidence — not just their status reports.

  • Govern

    GDPR and EU AI Act compliance, IP and data ownership terms, independent verification of progress.

  • Report

    A clear, independent view of progress, risk and decisions required for the board.

Result

The board gets evidence, not the supplier’s status report.
See more evidence from real engagements. Case studies across AI, cloud, platform transformation and more.
View all engagements

1 Founder CV, Director of Technology entry. 2 Founder CV, current consultancy entry.

Where Fractional CTO fits

Different situations need different kinds of technology leadership.

The right model depends on your business, your stage and what your technology function needs.

A Fractional CTO fits when

You need senior technology leadership,
without creating a full-time role.

  • Leadership above the IT manager The operation is covered. Senior technology decisions are not.
  • Technology is infrastructure, not the product Technology matters to the business, but does not require a full-time executive.
  • Judgement and accountability are missing The team can execute, but needs someone to set direction and own decisions.
  • There is a reason to act now A transaction, leadership gap, stalled programme or board-level technology question.

The result

Senior technology leadership, at the level your business needs.

Another model may fit better when

Sometimes the right answer
is not Fractional CTO.

  • Technology is the product A full-time CTO or technical co-founder may be the right long-term role.
  • You need a statutory technology director That requires a formal appointment rather than a consultancy engagement.
  • You need additional delivery capacity An embedded engineer or delivery team may be the better fit.
  • The requirement is primarily compliance A specialist compliance engagement may be more appropriate.

Our approach

If Fractional CTO isn’t the right model, we’ll tell you on the first call.
Not sure which model fits your situation? Let’s discuss your goals and find the right approach.
Book a conversation

Get started

Is one of these triggers live?

If one of the triggers above is live — a deal, a departure, a stalled migration, a board asking about AI — the next step is a 45-minute Technical Review Call, at no charge. We will tell you whether there is work here and, if so, what the first fixed-scope step is. If there is not, we will tell you that too.

  • Technical discussion Focused on your system and your goals.
  • With senior experts Practical input from experienced engineers.
  • Clear next steps You’ll know where you stand after the call.
Book a Technical Review Call

Practical. Technical. No obligation.