Sperring Software Consulting
Sperring Software Consulting

Independent CTO review for founder-led B2B software companies

Independent CTO review before you make an expensive technology decision.

In ten working days, I identify the few product, engineering and platform issues that matter, the decisions that cannot wait, and a practical 90-day plan.

I help founder-CEOs get a clear, independent view before a CTO hire, rewrite or replatform, delivery reset, investment, sale or major enterprise commitment.

Best fit for UK B2B software companies with roughly 8-40 engineers or technical vendors already in place. Fixed fee from £9,500 + VAT. No line management, transformation theatre or open-ended implementation programme.

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Fixed-scope executive review

Tech Value & Risk Scan

A focused review for an expensive technology decision. Product, delivery, leadership and platform issues lead the work; AI, cyber and vendor exposure are examined where they materially affect the decision.

Duration
10 working days
Pricing
From £9,500 + VAT
Read about the Tech Value & Risk Scan
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Selected outcomes from hands-on technology leadership and constraint removal

80%
Release lead time reduced
A faster, repeatable release flow with clearer ownership

Pina Vida: approximate reduction after focused constraint removal

Multiple / week
Deployment frequency
Up from roughly 4-5 releases per year

Pina Vida: pace and timing were affected by stakeholder constraints

≈50%
Operational toil reduced
Lower platform and support overhead

Nicer Group: approximate reduction following platform and delivery improvements

£10k+
Release cost removed
Per deployment after manual release work was automated

Pina Vida: historical release overhead removed per deployment

Figures are rounded from the stated project baselines and reflect shared team outcomes. Results vary by context.

When to bring me in

When a technology decision becomes expensive, consequential or hard to reverse, leadership needs a clear view of what matters and what to do next.

You are deciding whether to hire or replace a CTO.

A rewrite, replatform or incremental modernisation decision cannot keep drifting.

Roadmap and release confidence have deteriorated.

Engineering activity is not translating into commercial progress.

Technology must be ready for investment, sale or a major enterprise customer.

You need an independent view before committing significant budget.

These are rarely just engineering problems. They sit across product, delivery, architecture, leadership and commercial priorities.

Executive technology decision review

Tech Value & Risk Scan

A fixed-scope review for founder-led B2B software companies that need clarity before a CTO hire, rewrite or replatform, delivery reset, investment, sale or major enterprise commitment.

Leadership interviews
Evidence and architecture review
Product, delivery, leadership and platform review
Decision memo
One-page scorecard
Risk register
30/60/90-day value plan
Executive readout
Read about the Tech Value & Risk Scan Book an introductory call

At a glance

Duration
10 working days / 2-3 weeks
Price
From £9,500 + VAT
Scope
Product, delivery, leadership and platform decisions
Output
Decision memo, scorecard, risk register and 30/60/90-day plan

Decision-ready outputs

The review turns technical ambiguity into a concise scorecard, decision memo, risk register and 30/60/90-day plan. AI, cyber and vendor findings are included where they materially affect the decision.

Executive scorecard

A one-page view of the technology issues, risks and decisions that matter.

Decision memo

Plain-English conclusions, options and trade-offs for the CEO and leadership team.

Risk register

Product, delivery, platform and leadership risks prioritised by business impact.

Decision map

The choices, owners and trade-offs that need to become explicit.

30/60/90-day value plan

Sequenced actions with expected impact, owners and suggested measures.

Executive readout

A focused discussion designed to help leadership decide what happens next.

Follow-on advisory

90-day CTO decision support

Ninety days of decision support to implement the priorities from the review, challenge material technology decisions and give leadership a reliable monthly view of progress and risk. This normally follows a diagnostic rather than being the first engagement.

Read about ongoing advisory

£7.5k-£8.5k/month + VAT

3-month minimum

Fortnightly leadership calls

Monthly decision memo

Monthly technology scorecard / risk tracker

Challenge on hiring, roadmap, platform and material risk decisions

Async decision support within agreed limits

Remote-first with occasional paid leadership workshops

Normally no more than two retained advisory clients at a time

Selected work

Operator-led examples across delivery improvement, platform modernisation and commercial technology execution.

Pina Vida

Agency / product delivery environment

Situation: Multi-day, risky releases and delivery friction were creating commercial drag and low confidence.

Intervention: Redesigned the delivery system, simplified release processes, clarified ownership, and automated deployment flow.

Outcome: Moved from roughly 4-5 releases per year to multiple releases per week; reduced lead time by around 80%; removed manual release involvement and made delivery risk more visible.

Caveat: Timeline and pace were affected by stakeholder constraints.

Auto Integrate

Commercial platform integration

Situation: A strategic partner opportunity needed to become a reliable product integration with clear commercial value.

Intervention: Shaped and delivered the integration, connecting the technical approach with partner needs and commercial priorities.

Outcome: The integration was associated with 100% revenue growth over two years.

Caveat: This was a shared commercial outcome and was not solely attributable to the technology work.

Nicer Group

Product/platform modernisation environment

Situation: Platform direction, operational load, and migration choices needed clearer sequencing for leadership.

Intervention: Guided the EJS to Next.js migration, supported container-based architecture, and helped the team become more self-sufficient.

Outcome: Reduced operational toil by around 50% and transitioned from fractional CTO involvement to exec advisor once leadership and the team could carry the work.

Start with the decision, not a retainer

The initial review is a bounded paid engagement. Ongoing advisory is proposed only where the review reveals a continuing decision need, with a clear route to handover.

1. Delivery Constraint Audit

A focused review when release flow, ownership or roadmap execution is clearly the main problem.

2. Tech Value & Risk Scan

The main entry point when the decision spans product, engineering, platform and technical leadership.

3. 90-day decision support

Follow-on advisory to implement priorities, challenge material decisions and track progress and risk.

4. Handover

The engagement ends when internal leadership and the team can carry the work with confidence.

How I form the view

The view comes from operator experience and evidence across the product, engineering team and platform. The goal is not to install a methodology. It is to identify the real constraint and make the next decisions clearer.

Product and commercial focus

Whether engineering effort is translating into customer and commercial progress.

Delivery and flow

Where work waits, releases slow down and confidence is being lost.

Architecture and platform

The real trade-offs behind rewrite, replatform and incremental modernisation choices.

Leadership and ownership

Who owns the decisions, risks and execution, and where capability needs to change.

Material risk lenses

AI, cyber, vendor and resilience exposure where it changes the decision or sequence.

What this is not

This is not staff augmentation, daily delivery management, programme management, ticket writing, emergency incident response or unlimited Slack access. It is a focused independent view before a consequential technology decision.

This works best if

  • You are a founder-led B2B software company.
  • You have roughly 8-40 engineers or technical vendors already in place.
  • A CTO hire, platform choice or delivery reset has become expensive or hard to reverse.
  • Engineering effort is not translating into enough commercial progress.
  • Leadership is willing to make decisions from evidence, not just opinion.

Probably not a fit if

  • You mainly need extra developers.
  • You need daily standups or delivery management.
  • You want programme management or ticket writing.
  • You need emergency incident response or 24/7 cover.
  • You want unlimited Slack or Teams access.
James Sperring - independent CTO adviser and technology operator

About James Sperring

I am James Sperring, an experienced technology operator who helps founder-CEOs turn technical complexity into clear decisions, stronger delivery and practical 90-day plans.

Across CTO, fractional CTO, adviser and founder/operator roles, I have repeatedly identified the real constraint, modernised without reckless rewrites, improved release flow, built capable teams and connected technology choices to commercial outcomes.

  • Founder-led B2B software
  • Delivery flow and release confidence
  • Incremental platform modernisation
  • Technical leadership and team capability
  • Commercial technology decisions
  • Architecture and integration
  • Material AI, cyber and vendor risk
  • Bounded, practical engagements

Operating context

B2B SaaSDelivery systemsPlatform modernisationArchitectureTechnical leadershipCommercial integrationsExecutive decisions90-day plansUK and US time zones
Based in the UK. Remote-first, with occasional paid leadership workshops where they help the decision.

FAQ

Why start with the Tech Value & Risk Scan?

Because a CTO hire, rewrite, replatform or delivery reset is expensive and hard to reverse. The scan creates an independent view of the real issues, decisions and sequence before you commit.

Who is this for?

Primarily founder-CEOs of UK B2B software companies with roughly 8-40 engineers or technical vendors already in place and a consequential technology decision to make.

What kind of review is this?

It is an executive technology decision review. Product, delivery, leadership and platform issues lead the work. AI, cyber and vendor exposure are examined where material; it is not a penetration test, code audit, compliance certification or full commercial due-diligence exercise.

Is this hands-on delivery management?

No. The value is independent technology judgement, decision support and a practical 90-day plan. Delivery-specific work is available only where clearly scoped.

What does it cost?

The Tech Value & Risk Scan starts from £9,500 + VAT. Follow-on 90-day CTO decision support is £7.5k-£8.5k/month + VAT where there is a genuine continuing need.

Does ongoing advisory come first?

Usually not. Ongoing support normally follows a diagnostic, once the priorities are clear and there is a real need for continued challenge, progress tracking and decision support.

What about the Delivery Constraint Audit Sprint?

It is the narrower entry point when the main issue is clearly delivery flow, ownership or roadmap execution.

Read about the delivery review

Before you make an expensive technology decision

Start with a short introductory call. If an independent review would help, we can agree a fixed scope quickly. If another route makes more sense, I will say so.

Book an introductory call Read about the Tech Value & Risk Scan

Useful when

  • You are considering a CTO hire or leadership change.
  • A rewrite, replatform or delivery reset is under debate.
  • Engineering effort is not producing enough commercial progress.

Contact

Tell me which technology decision, risk or delivery constraint needs clarity. I will reply with introductory call slots or a clear view on whether I can help.

Prefer to book directly?

Skip the form and reserve an intro call now.

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LinkedIn
On request after intro call