Do You Need a Fractional CTO?

Not every business needs a fractional CTO. Some need one urgently and do not realise it. Others think they need one when they actually need something else entirely.

This page is an honest assessment. We sell fractional CTO services, so we have a financial interest in you saying yes. But we have a bigger interest in being straight with you, because recommending the wrong thing destroys trust and wastes everyone's time.

Here are the signs that tell you whether a fractional CTO is the right move, and what to do instead if it is not.

9 Signs You Need a Fractional CTO

1. Technology decisions are being made by people who are not qualified to make them.

If your MD is choosing the technology stack, your sales director is evaluating software vendors, or your office manager is managing the IT infrastructure, technology decisions are being made by gut feeling rather than expertise. This works until it does not, and when it stops working, the cost of unwinding bad decisions is significantly higher than the cost of getting them right in the first place.

2. Your development costs are rising but your output is not.

You are spending more on developers, infrastructure, and tools, but you are not shipping faster, your quality is not improving, and your clients are not seeing better results. Something is wrong with your engineering efficiency, and diagnosing the root cause (architecture, process, team structure, tooling, or vendor management) requires someone who has seen these patterns before.

3. You are about to make a significant technology investment.

Building a new platform. Migrating to the cloud. Implementing AI. Choosing between building in-house and buying off the shelf. These decisions have six-figure consequences. Getting an experienced opinion before you commit is not a luxury; it is basic risk management.

4. Your tech lead is brilliant but overwhelmed.

You have a talented senior developer who has been promoted into a leadership role by default. They are managing the team, making architecture decisions, and trying to keep the codebase healthy, all while still writing code because nobody else can handle the complex work. They need a CTO above them to set direction, handle stakeholder communication, and give them space to do what they are good at.

5. The board is asking technology questions that nobody can answer.

What is our cybersecurity posture? How much technical debt do we carry? Is our platform scalable to support the three-year plan? What is the technology risk profile? If these questions are met with awkward silence in board meetings, you have a governance gap that a fractional CTO fills.

6. You are preparing for investment, acquisition, or exit.

Technical due diligence is now standard in transactions. Investors and acquirers will assess your architecture, security, code quality, team capability, and documentation. A fractional CTO can prepare you for this scrutiny, address the issues that would reduce your valuation, and present your technology as the asset it should be.

7. Your competitors are pulling ahead technically.

They are launching features faster, their platform is more reliable, and their clients are getting a better experience. If you suspect your technology is becoming a competitive disadvantage rather than an advantage, you need someone to diagnose why and build a plan to close the gap.

8. You are in a regulated industry and compliance is getting complex.

UK GDPR, Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, FCA requirements, the Online Safety Act. These are not just legal obligations; they are technical challenges that require architectural decisions and ongoing management. Your IT manager can implement the controls, but someone needs to design the programme and ensure it is proportionate and effective.

9. You know something is wrong but you cannot articulate what.

This is more common than you might think. The technology "feels" fragile. Deployments are nerve-wracking. The team seems busy but not productive. You have a nagging sense that things could be better but you lack the technical vocabulary to describe the problem. A fractional CTO can diagnose what a non-technical leader cannot see.

4 Signs You Do Not Need a Fractional CTO

1. You need someone to write code.

A CTO is a strategic leader. If your primary need is another pair of hands building features, you need a senior developer or a development agency. Hiring a CTO to write code is like hiring a finance director to do bookkeeping. It is the wrong level of resource for the task.

2. You have a specific, time-bounded technical project.

If you need to migrate from one cloud provider to another, implement a specific integration, or conduct a security penetration test, you need a technical consultant. Consultants are scoped to a deliverable and are often more cost-effective for defined projects.

3. Your technology is genuinely simple and stable.

If your business runs on standard off-the-shelf software (Microsoft 365, a standard CRM, a basic website) and you have no plans to build custom technology, a fractional CTO is overkill. You need a good IT support partner and occasional consultancy when you make changes.

4. You are not willing to act on the advice.

A fractional CTO will tell you things you may not want to hear. Your platform needs re-architecting. Your lead developer is not performing. Your cloud costs are three times what they should be. If you are looking for validation rather than honest assessment, you will not get value from the engagement.

What to Do Instead

If a fractional CTO is not the right fit, consider these alternatives.

A technical consultant for specific, defined projects. Expect to pay £800-£2,500 per day for someone with genuine expertise. Scope the engagement tightly with clear deliverables.

A senior developer or engineering manager if your primary need is hands-on technical capacity and team management. This is a hire, not a consultancy engagement, but it is the right answer if your gap is execution rather than strategy.

A managed IT service provider if your technology needs are operational (keeping systems running, managing updates, handling user support) rather than strategic.

A security consultant or managed security service if your primary concern is cybersecurity but you do not need broader technology leadership.

Still Not Sure?

The simplest test is this: if technology is a significant factor in your business's ability to grow, compete, or manage risk, and nobody on your leadership team has the expertise to make confident technology decisions, you probably need a fractional CTO.

If technology is a utility that supports your business but does not differentiate it, you probably need good IT support and occasional expert advice.

Boardman offers a straightforward initial conversation with no obligation. We will give you an honest view of whether a fractional CTO is the right move for your business, and if it is not, we will point you toward what is.