Consulting Services

Overview

My services are available on a contract basis. The types of engagements I prefer are listed below. Engagements can also be custom designed to meet your needs.

• Solution Architecture/Sales Engineering: make sales happen by deploying my depth of technical knowledge in your sales efforts
• Business/Technology Assessment: get software working for your business instead of against it.
• Technology Assessment: get a fresh perspective on your software project, practices, operations, code, & etc.
• Due Dilligence: get the facts on an acquisition or invesgment before you write that check.
• Performance Optimization: get your software running at peak performance.
• Software Architecture: get the architecture of your new project right from the outset.
• Software Development: have an expert develop your software.
• Terms - my consulting engagement terms.

Services Provided

Solution Architecture/Sales Engineering

Over the last fifteen years, I have worked frequently with sales persons to provide the deep technical knowledge needed to answer a customer's most challenging questions. My efforts in this regard have helped to close over $50 million worth of business for my employers. With this service, a sales person is freed to focus on the negotiations and customer relationships because the entire technical conversation is delegated to me. I have many years of experience making detailed technical presentations to customers, many with the sole focus of closing a sale. This service can be arranged on an hourly or commission basis.

Business/Technology Assessment

My specialty is in helping business leaders get the most from their software investment. This advisory service will evaluate current technologies and practices to identify opportunities for improvement in line with business objectives. By making technology match business processes, operations can run with the efficiency that makes it a valuable asset to the organization.

A business/technology assessment, can help to quickly identify and resolve issues, discover more efficient business processes, indicate how technology can be utilized to decrease expenses, and uncover missed market opportunities.

Technology Assessment

When undertaking a technical initiative, my services can help to cut through the myriad details as well as conflicting objectives and agendas. A technical assessment can help you quickly select the correct tools, technologies, methods, and architecture that will help meet your business needs.

If your project is stuck, an assessment can help get it moving again.

Due Dilligence

Whether you are investing in a software firm, planning to acquire a software firm, or just planning to work with a vendor and its tools, due dilligence is requied. This service provides you with a comprehensive report that investigates the technical merits of a software company or product against its competition. The report also identifies how well the company or product matches your investiment, acquisition or operations goals and identifies opportunities not otherwise recognized.

If you get daunted by myriad technical detail, I can help lay the facts out in terms you can understand.

Performance Optimization

My extensive background in a range of technologies gives me a deep technical understanding of complex computer systems. This experience combined with my methodical approach allows me to quickly track down, isolate, and correct performance problems in most kinds of systems.

Software Architecture

My vast experience in software architecture and design will help you quickly select the technologies and products upon which your system should be built. In recommending technical architectures, I am always keenly aware of the impact the technologies will have on the business and strive to ensure that the technologies selected will meet the business' objectives.

Software Development

With over 20 years of software design and development experience, I can help any team quickly produce high quality software that is testable, maintainable, and reusable. I am also an extremely fast C/C++ or Java programmer. If your project is larger, I can assemble a highly qualified team to develop it faster.

Terms

All services are performed by contract only. Here are some of the terms of the contract that I require:

• Ownership. Any software or documentation developed in the course of the engagement is considered your proprietary work. After all, you paid for it. Alternatively, in certain cases, software can be made open source to establish a developer community around the software for ongoing maintenance and enhancement.
• Invoices. Detailed invoices describing daily tasks performed will be sent monthly on or near the 1st of the month. Invoices are due upon receipt. Payment not received by the 15th of each month will be deemed delinquent and will cause a cessation of my services until the amount due is paid in full.
• Travel. I prefer not to travel as I find it an inefficient use of both my time and my customer's funds. I have high speed Internet access in my office, several types of computers, conferencing equipment, etc. I will travel for initial project meetings and final project presentations, but still prefer to conduct these remotely.
• Expenses. The client is responsible for all reasonable project related expenses incurred during the normal course of the project. This includes, but is not limited to travel, hardware, and software. The use of all computing equipment in my office is included in my fees and not incurred as an expense. If it is Linux, Solaris or Windows, I have equipment. For other projects and systems, the client will need to provide appropriate hardware and software.
• Deposit. For new customers, a $2,000.00 deposit is required to start any engagement. The deposit will be applied to the final invoice, with interest.