Your Engineering Team Isn't Shipping Anymore
Six months ago, your team shipped features in days. Now everything takes weeks. Sprint commitments are constantly missed, and you're not sure if it's the people, the process, or the technology.
You're not alone. This is the #1 problem I'm called in to solve.
Why Engineering Teams Stop Shipping
1. Technical Complexity Hit a Tipping Point
Your codebase was simple at first. But now, every change touches 17 other things. That "quick feature" requires 6 meetings and 3 team approvals. The system shifted from flowing to frozen-and nobody saw it coming.
2. Technical Debt Is Crushing You
Those shortcuts you took to ship fast early on? They're coming back to haunt you. Now every new feature requires fixing old code first. Your team spends more time working around problems than building new value.
3. Communication Overhead Exploded
When you had 5 engineers, everyone knew what everyone else was doing. At 15 engineers, coordination becomes exponentially harder. Now people are blocked waiting for answers, and nobody has the full picture anymore.
4. No Clear Technical Strategy
You've been reacting to urgent requests instead of building strategically. There's no architecture vision, no roadmap for paying down tech debt, and no one empowered to make hard technical decisions. So every choice becomes a committee debate.
Here's What Most Companies Do Wrong
They assume it's a people problem and start replacing engineers. But the team isn't lazy- they're drowning in complexity. Hiring more people without fixing the system just makes communication harder and slows you down more.
You need someone who can see the system, not just manage the people.
How I Help Teams Start Shipping Again
Week 1: Diagnose the Real Problem
I talk to your team (not just leadership) to understand where the bottlenecks really are. Is it the architecture? The process? The tools? The communication? Usually it's a combination.
Week 2-4: Stabilize and Create Boundaries
I implement clear ownership boundaries so teams can work independently. I establish processes that reduce coordination overhead. And I make the hard calls about what technical debt to fix now vs. later.
Month 2-3: Restore Predictability
With better boundaries and processes, teams start hitting their commitments again. Sprint predictability improves. Morale goes up because people can see progress. And you can start planning with confidence again.
Ongoing: Strategic Technical Leadership
As your fractional CTO, I continue making architectural decisions, managing tech debt strategically, and ensuring your team has what they need to keep shipping. You get executive-level technical leadership without the $200K+ full-time cost.
What Results Look Like
Improvement in sprint predictability
(Interchain Foundation)
To ship a crypto casino platform
(Everyrealm)
Team retention rate maintained
(Across all engagements)
Let's Figure Out What's Slowing Your Team Down
Book a free 30-minute call. I'll ask about your situation and give you honest feedback on what I think is happening-even if we don't end up working together.
Schedule Free ConsultationOr learn more about Fractional CTO