# Forward-deployed fractional CTO Source: https://normanholz.de/ Language: en Fractional CTO who works forward-deployed: embedded in your team, on the tools, shipping with you. The no-nonsense CTO who gets software shipped and products made real. I'm Norman Holz. I take messy ideas, stalled projects, and AI prototypes and drive them to production, with architecture, hands-on code, and shipping discipline in one seat. Part fractional CTO, part forward-deployed engineer: I turn vision into a technical plan and stay on the tools until it crosses the final mile. Clear decisions, solid systems, teams that deliver. ## You know the pain. - The prototype got you 80% there: AI tools, no-code platforms, or a fast freelancer proved the shape of the idea. But it's not ready for real customers, and the last 20% is the hard part. - The handoff is messy: The agency, contractor, or internal team left behind unclear architecture, brittle code, missing context, and a roadmap nobody fully trusts. - Vendor Proposals are hard to judge: Agencies and freelancers promise a lot. Some proposals are worth it. Some bundle in work you pay for but do not need yet. - Dev teams have no direction: Your developers are talented, but nobody's connecting their work to actual business outcomes. Features ship. Value doesn't. And nobody's asking why morale is tanking. - Tech debt is eating you alive: Every new feature takes twice as long as the last. Your codebase is a house of cards and everyone's afraid to touch it. - The questions are getting expensive: Investors, customers, and your own team are asking technical questions that need real product, architecture, and delivery judgment, not a guess. ## Who I work best with. - You're early-stage, scaling, or building software in a company where tech is not the core business - You need CTO-level expertise and judgement without adding a permanent role - Your dev team is small, new, or held together with agency contracts - You're hiring senior engineers and the cost of a bad hire is high - You've got a promising prototype or demo that needs to become software real customers can actually use ## What I actually do. - Technical Strategy: Architecture decisions, build vs. buy analysis, technology selection. The decisions that keep you from burning runway down the road. - AI & Data: From LLM integrations to data pipelines. Practical AI that solves real problems, not hype-driven demos. Certified AI Engineering Expert, currently deepening the craft with an M.Sc. in Data Science. - Team & People: Hiring, mentoring, conflict resolution, motivation. A psychology background means I don't just manage developers. I understand what makes them tick and what makes them quit. - System Architecture: Cloud infrastructure, microservices, API design. Scalable systems that don't collapse when user numbers grow. - Mobile & Web: Cross-platform, Android & iOS, modern web stacks. I've shipped production apps, not just drawn wireframes. - Vendor & Due Diligence: Supporting Tenders, evaluating proposals, auditing codebases, assessing tech stacks before acquisition. Your technical BS filter. ## Easy to work with. - We talk: You tell me what's broken, what's ambitious, what keeps you up at night. I listen. Then I ask the questions you haven't thought to answer. - I embed: I join your team's tools, meetings, and channels. Slack, GitHub, Jira, whatever you use. No onboarding theater. I work when you work. - We ship: Decisions get made. Architecture gets built. Your team moves faster. You see real results in weeks, not slides in quarterly reviews. ## One retainer, full coverage. The Forward-Deployed CTO Retainer: weekly CTO leadership across product direction, architecture, vendor decisions, team cadence, and the work it takes to get software shipped. Flat monthly, scoped to your situation, easy to stop if it stops being useful. - Advisory, ~2 days/week: Steady technical judgment without full immersion. Product calls, architecture reviews, vendor decisions, and a filter on the expensive questions. - Embedded, ~4 days/week: I work inside your team. Hands-on architecture, code reviews, sprint cadence, and direct execution. For when the build is stuck and someone has to get software out the door. ## Two ways to start. Low-commitment ways in before any retainer. Get value fast, then decide if you want me around longer. ## Your move.