Service
Fractional chief architect
Senior architecture judgement available continuously, without a permanent hire.
Relevant when
- You need an architect sometimes, but not full time
- You need architectural authority but not a full-time architect
- An internal team is capable but lacks exposure to decisions at this scale
- Architecture decisions are being made by whoever is loudest in the room
- Every project makes locally sensible decisions that add up to an incoherent estate
- You are recruiting for the role and need the seat held, and the job specified properly
The problem
Most organisations need a senior architect regularly, but not full time. Hiring one takes months, costs a lot, and is hard to get right: judging a chief architect is difficult if you do not already have one. The decisions keep coming in the meantime.
What happens instead is familiar. Architecture decisions get made project by project, each sensible on its own, but together they produce an incoherent solution nobody would have chosen.
Short consulting engagements do not quite solve this. They deliver a report and the context leaves with them. What is missing is someone who maintains the context between decisions.
How this works
A defined commitment
Typically one to several days per month, agreed in advance, with standing participation in the forums where decisions are made.
Continuity of context
The advice builds up instead of starting again each time. I know why the previous decision was made and what has changed since.
The role adapts to what is missing
Sometimes that is decision authority in a governance forum. Sometimes it is mentoring a team that has the ability but not the exposure. Sometimes it is simply having someone to test a direction against, who has seen something similar before and has no reason to agree with you.
Availability between meetings
Short questions get short answers, with no new engagement wrapped around them. In practice that is often what matters most.
Handover from the start
Your own architects are developed alongside, and a handover plan is part of the arrangement from the start rather than an afterthought. The goal is a team that carries the role itself.
What you get
- A defined monthly commitment with agreed availability and access
- Participation in architecture governance and design authority, with decision rights or advisory standing as agreed
- Architecture decisions documented with rationale, not only outcome
- Mentoring and development of internal architects, which is usually the actual goal
- A handover plan with a date on it
Scope
Light retainer
One day per month. Participation in one governance forum and availability between.
Standard retainer
Two to four days per month. Participation in decisions, mentoring and documentation.
Crunch time
Heavier presence while a specific programme runs, easing back afterwards.
Holding the seat
Temporary, while the job specification written and recruitment runs.
Related
A clear picture of where the organisation is, where it needs to be, and the processes that connect both to the daily work.
More Data and information architectureOne agreed picture of the organisation's core information, and a route to it that does not require replacing everything.
More AI and agent readinessAn honest assessment of where you can safely apply AI agents, and what has to be in place first.
More System selection, tenders and reviewAn independent review before you sign, so platform decisions hold up over time.
MoreDoes this sound familiar?
Where do things stand for you? The first conversation costs nothing and usually leaves the question clearer, whether or not it leads to a project.
Get in touch