09 / Quality & assurance
A second opinion from someone who builds and tests systems himself
Technology choices, vendor evaluation, product planning and project rescue — an engineer's advice, not a slide deck.
Technology decisions are the hardest ones to undo: the wrong vendor, an over-engineered architecture or a product built without analysis can cost months of work and a large slice of the budget. Companies without their own CTO risk the most — their only “second opinion” is the view of a supplier who profits from a particular answer.
I advise on the client's side of the table and from practice: I read the code, the offers and the estimates, ask vendors the questions that need answering, and translate technology into business terms. Every recommendation reaches you in writing, with the reasoning — including when it says “don't build this”.
This is not slide-deck consulting. Day to day I design, build and test systems — from small business applications to projects connected with organizations such as PwC, Roche and E.ON — so I only recommend solutions I could implement and maintain myself.
What the service covers
Technology selection and architecture
I help choose technology and design architecture around real constraints — scale, budget, the team's skills — rather than whatever is fashionable. I also advise on infrastructure planning and cloud migrations.
- Technology stack selection for the project and team
- Architecture consulting and design reviews
- Infrastructure and cloud migration planning
- A modernization plan for an existing system
Product planning and project analysis
Before a project gets a budget, it's worth knowing exactly what will be built: technical analysis of the idea, an MVP scope, development stages and risks, and documentation that lets vendors submit offers you can actually compare.
- Technical analysis of an idea before budgeting
- MVP scope and a staged development plan
- Specifications and technical documentation for vendors
- Analysis of project risks and assumptions
Vendor and proposal evaluation
An independent technical read of proposals, estimates and contracts: what the vendor is really promising, what's missing from the offer, which items look inflated and what to ask before signing.
Project rescue
When a project is stuck, I start with a diagnosis: the actual state of the code and scope, how much of the progress reporting holds up, and what can be saved. Then you get a way out — repair, a vendor change or a controlled shutdown — with the realistic cost of each path.
Supporting development and QA teams
I reinforce existing teams where a senior perspective is missing: code and architecture reviews, tightening up the development and testing process, mentoring, and senior support on demand without hiring for a full-time seat.
Typical situations
- 01
You have several offers for the same project on the table, prices apart by a multiple, and no way to tell which to trust.
- 02
The “three-month” project is a year in, and the vendor has a good explanation every time.
- 03
You're planning a product and want a realistic view of cost and risk before making commitments to investors or the bank.
- 04
The company has outgrown its current system, and no one inside knows whether to modernize it or rebuild.
What you can count on
Written recommendations with the reasoning and consequences of each option, not a deck of generalities.
Decisions grounded in analysis of code, offers and documents, not the afterglow of a good sales meeting.
An adviser on your side of the table: tied to no supplier, paid for a straight answer rather than for selling a build.
The knowledge stays with your company: documentation, analysis notes and an action plan you can take to any team.
Questions about this service
It's the most common scenario. My role is precisely to turn technology into decisions: what to choose, roughly what it should cost, where the risks are and how to tell early that something is going wrong. I translate jargon into specifics, and everything we agree on reaches you in writing, in plain language.
I advise only on the client's side and I'm tied to no supplier. If during the analysis I conclude I could deliver a given piece of work myself, I say so openly — and the decision stays with you, because the recommendations and documents are yours and you can take them anywhere.
With a diagnosis, not promises: I review the code, the repository, the issue tracker and the correspondence with the vendor so far, then lay out the situation with the possible paths — repair, handover to another team, or a controlled shutdown. Only with that picture in front of you do you decide on next steps and budget.
Flexibly: from a single consultation, through an analysis with a fixed scope and price, to ongoing advisory work alongside product development. I work remotely with companies across Poland, and in and around Bydgoszcz we can meet in person.
Related services
Get a second opinion before the decision gets expensive
The first conversation is free and non-binding. Tell me what choice you're facing, and I'll tell you how I would approach it and what I would check first.
- Phone
- +48 573 021 012