What You Need to Know Before You Book

We spend 30 minutes figuring out if transformation is realistic for your team and whether we are the right people to do it.

You will get clarity on what is actually holding your technology function back, whether the issue is fixable or points to bigger structural problems, and what the realistic path forward looks like.

I will get clarity on whether your team is genuinely ready for this level of change, if the leadership dynamics can support transformation, and whether we have capacity to give this the focus it needs.

At the end of the call, I will tell you one of three things. Either "Yes, I think we can transform this and here is how", or "This is fixable but you need something different from what we do", or "We could help but I do not think now is the right time and here is why."

Three things: recognition that something fundamental needs to change, willingness to commit real time to making it happen, and realistic expectations about what transformation actually involves.

I am not looking for perfection. Most teams we work with are messy when we start. I am looking for honesty about where you are and genuine commitment to doing something different.

Red flags that tell me this will not work: leadership that wants the technology team fixed but is not willing to change how they interact with technology. CTOs who have already mentally checked out. Teams that want results but will not apply what we recommend. Organisations that think this is about buying a report rather than doing hard work.

Green flags that tell me transformation is possible: you know something is broken but you are not sure exactly what. You are willing to look at uncomfortable truths about what is not working. You understand that fixing this requires sustained effort, not a quick patch. You are treating this as a strategic investment, not just another expense.

Whoever is driving the decision to fix this. Usually the CEO, sometimes the CTO, occasionally a Board member.

If you are the CEO trying to figure out if transformation is possible, book it yourself. We can loop in the CTO later if it makes sense. Often it is better to have that initial conversation one on one so we can talk openly about what you are actually seeing.

If you are the CTO and you know the team needs external help, book it. We will figure out how to bring the CEO into the conversation.

If you are on the Board and pushing for technology leadership improvement, book it and we will work out the right engagement model.

Do not overthink this. The assessment is 30 minutes. We will figure out who else needs to be involved based on what we discover.

Diagnose: $5,000 AUD plus GST. Two weeks embedded with your team. You get a complete picture of what is broken and exactly how we would fix it. This investment is credited toward Transform if you commit within 14 days and prepay the remaining $55,000.

Transform: $60,000 AUD total plus GST. Six months of weekly embedded work to rebuild your team's operating system, elevate your CTO, and create lasting capability. If you move from Diagnose to Transform within 14 days, you pay $55,000 (the $5,000 diagnostic fee is credited). This is the core engagement where transformation happens.

Ascend: $5,000 AUD per month plus GST. Ongoing executive alignment after Transform finishes. Keeps momentum steady and ensures the function does not slide backwards.

Most people use Diagnose to prove to themselves this will work before committing to the full engagement. Think of it as a $5,000 test drive that costs you nothing if you decide to proceed. Some go straight to Transform if the situation is urgent and the fit is obvious after the assessment.

Because you deserve to know what you are considering before we ever talk.

Most firms hide pricing because they want you emotionally invested before you find out what it costs. They are hoping that by the time you hear the number, you are already sold.

I publish pricing because it filters out teams who genuinely cannot invest at this level. That saves everyone time. It also means when we talk in the assessment, we can focus on whether the work is right for your situation, not on negotiating price.

If you look at these numbers and think "absolutely not", you have saved us both 30 minutes. If you look at them and think "that is significant but potentially worth it if the transformation is real", then book the assessment.

Then be honest about that in the assessment and we will figure out if there is a path forward or if you should wait.

But first, be brutally honest with yourself about whether this is actually a budget problem or a priorities problem.

Most businesses can afford this. What they are really saying is "we have not decided this is more important than the other things we are spending money on right now." Which is completely fair. You get to set your priorities.

The real question is what the cost of not fixing this adds up to. If your technology team is underperforming, what is that costing you every quarter? Delayed launches. Missed opportunities. Leadership time wasted. Team morale dropping. Strategic initiatives you cannot even attempt because technology is too unreliable.

For some businesses, that cumulative cost is ten times what transformation costs. For others, the pain is not quite there yet. Just be honest about where you are.

Diagnose is two weeks embedded with your team, mapping exactly what is broken and how we would fix it.

You get complete clarity on whether the CTO is the problem or the system around them is the problem. You see where delivery is breaking down and why. You understand what needs to change in how the CEO and CTO interact. You know if the team has the capability to transform or if you need different people.

At the end, you get a transformation map that shows exactly what we would do over six months, what would change week by week, and what success looks like at each stage. This is not a 100 page report you will never read. It is a working document that becomes the roadmap if you move to Transform.

Most people use Diagnose as proof that this will actually work before committing the full $60K. You invest $5,000 to see if we genuinely understand your situation and can fix it. If you decide to proceed within 14 days, that $5,000 is credited and you prepay the remaining $55,000. If you decide this is not right, you have spent $5,000 to get complete clarity on what needs to happen, which is valuable regardless.

Everything that matters.

Your CTO leads with clarity instead of drowning in reactive work. Your team delivers predictably instead of constantly firefighting. The CEO and CTO actually understand each other and trust is rebuilt. The Board has confidence that technology is on solid ground.

Within the first month you will see delivery becoming more predictable and fewer surprise emergencies. By week eight, the CEO and CTO relationship shifts and communication improves noticeably. By month four, the team starts taking ownership instead of waiting to be told what to do. By month six, the new operating system is embedded and running without us.

What matters most is that the change holds. This is not a temporary fix that fades when we step back. We rebuild the operating system of your technology function so it runs at a high level permanently.

We work virtually in weekly embedded sessions. Each session is structured and outcome focused.

The CTO is involved every week because they are the one we are elevating. The CEO needs to be involved at key moments to ensure alignment stays strong. The wider team participates as needed to implement changes.

Between sessions, your team applies what we have agreed on so momentum keeps building. This is not consulting where we disappear for weeks and come back with a report. We are in the work with you, week after week.

During the assessment, we will talk about whether you can actually commit the time this needs. If you are too busy to clear weekly space for transformation, now is not the right time. Better to know that upfront than three months in.

Maybe. Some teams can.

But if you could fix this internally, you probably would have already. The fact that you are reading this suggests something is blocking you.

Usually it is one of three things. Either you do not have clarity on what is actually broken. Or you know what needs to change but do not have the internal capability to execute it. Or there is a relationship dynamic between the CEO and CTO that makes direct performance conversations nearly impossible.

We bring external perspective, proven frameworks, and the ability to have conversations that are difficult internally. We also bring speed. Figuring this out yourself might work eventually, but how many quarters can you afford to keep operating the way you are now?

Sometimes that is exactly the right move. But not usually.

Most underperforming technology teams are not failing because the CTO lacks intelligence or technical skill. They are failing because the CTO was never set up to succeed in the first place.

Unclear expectations from leadership. No operating system for how the team works. Constant reactive firefighting instead of strategic focus. A leadership style that worked at a smaller scale but does not fit what the business needs now.

If you replace the CTO without fixing those underlying problems, the new person will hit the same wall. You will burn another 12 months and another six figure salary just to end up back here asking the same questions.

Our default is to elevate the existing CTO by fixing the system around them. If it becomes clear during Assess and Diagnose that replacement is the right answer, I will tell you that directly and help you think through what needs to change before you hire.

We do not act as an interim CTO, but we can help you avoid making an expensive hiring mistake.

Most organisations hire the wrong CTO because they are not clear on what the role actually needs to do. They write a job description that sounds good but does not match what the business requires. Then they hire someone who looks great on paper but is completely the wrong fit for the stage you are at.

We help you get clear on what you actually need, stabilise the technology function so the incoming leader has a fighting chance, support the hiring process, and then coach the new CTO through their first few months so they start strong.

This dramatically reduces the risk of your new CTO flaming out within a year, which is what happens to many technology leaders who walk into unclear situations.

Traditional consultancies show up with big teams, charge you for junior people learning on your time, hand you a report, and disappear. Three months later nothing has changed.

Executive coaches focus on developing the individual, which is valuable, but they often ignore the broken system around the CTO. You end up with a slightly better leader still stuck in a dysfunctional environment.

Interim CTOs take over temporarily, which can stabilise things short term, but they do not build lasting capability. When they leave, you are back where you started.

We do not do any of those things.

We embed virtually with your team every week. We work alongside your CTO rather than replacing them. We rebuild the entire operating system of the team while simultaneously elevating the leader. The result is a high performing function that keeps running after we step back.

You get transformation, not reports. You get capability, not dependency. You get results that last.

Because real transformation requires dedicated weekly focus, not sporadic attention whenever there is spare time.

Each team we work with gets a protected weekly slot. This ensures your transformation has consistent momentum and you get the attention required to actually move the needle.

We could scale this by hiring junior people and putting them in front of clients. We choose not to. You get senior expertise every single week, not someone reading from a playbook.

This means we sometimes need to turn teams away or ask them to wait. If we do not have capacity when you complete the assessment, we will be upfront about timing. During the assessment, I will tell you about current availability.

Let me be direct about when this typically does not work.

It does not work when leadership is not actually willing to change how they interact with the CTO. It does not work when the CTO has already mentally checked out. It does not work when the team wants results but will not apply what we recommend.

My job is to spot those situations during Assess and Diagnose and tell you if Transform is not a good fit. Your job is to be realistic about whether you are genuinely ready to commit or hoping for a magic fix that requires no real change.

For teams that are genuinely ready and commit properly, the success rate is extremely high. You will see progress week by week. If you are not seeing it, we will talk about it openly rather than pretending everything is fine.

The real question is this: what is the cost of not fixing this? What does another year of your technology team underperforming actually cost your business?

You should not trust me automatically. Trust is earned.

I have spent more than 40 years working with technology and over 25 years in technology leadership. I have been the hands-on technologist, the CTO drowning in reactive work and the leader rebuilding functions that had lost the confidence of the business.

I understand the pressure on CEOs when technology is not delivering and the expectations on CTOs who are stuck in constant firefighting. I also understand the cost to the organisation when technology becomes a bottleneck instead of a driver.

Everything we do is transparent. You will always know what I am observing, what I recommend changing, why I recommend it and how we are measuring whether it is working.

My commitment is straightforward. If I take you on, it is because I believe your technology function can become high performing and that our work will make a material difference. If I do not believe that after Assess and Diagnose, I will say so directly.

There is never a perfect time. There is always something else happening.

A big project finishing. A board meeting coming up. A key hire you are waiting on. Budget planning. The list never ends.

The real question is whether waiting makes things better or worse. If your technology team is underperforming now, will waiting three months improve that? Or will it just compound the problems and make them harder to fix later?

Most people who say "the timing is not quite right" come back six to twelve months later when things have gotten worse and now it is urgent. The transformation is the same either way, but waiting makes it more stressful and more expensive.

Book the assessment anyway. We will figure out together if now is actually the right time or if there is something specific you should handle first.

You have options.

Some teams are completely self sufficient after six months and do not need anything else. The capability is embedded, the CTO is operating at the right level, the team runs smoothly. They graduate out completely.

Other teams move into Ascend, which is $5,000 per month for ongoing executive alignment. This maintains momentum and ensures the function does not slide backwards. It creates a regular rhythm with the CEO, CTO and Board so everyone stays aligned on direction, risk and delivery.

Ascend is not about micromanaging the technology function. It is about making sure the CTO continues to operate as a peer at the executive table and that technology leadership stays ahead of where the business is going.

We will decide together what makes sense based on where you are at the end of Transform.