How we work

The problem first. Always.

Most technology money gets spent on the problem somebody named in the first meeting. That’s usually a symptom. We spend the time to find the thing underneath it, then design the fix around that.

What happens in an engagement?

Three steps, each with a finish line you can see. You can stop after any of them and still be ahead.

  1. We draw out the problem. We come in and talk to the people doing the work: you, the plant floor, the office, whoever touches the order from quote to cash. We follow the process, not the org chart. We look at what’s in the ERP, what’s in spreadsheets, and what’s only in someone’s head. Then we tell you what we found, including the parts you may not want to hear. You get: a straight answer about what’s actually costing you time and margin.
  2. We design the fix. We lay out the solution in business terms. What changes for the people doing the work, what it costs to build, what it costs to keep, and what it gives back. If part of the answer is a process change rather than software, we say that. If the answer is a tool you already pay for, we say that too. You get: a plan you can read, price, and approve, or take to someone else.
  3. We build it. The build runs through our sister company, Syndicate Systems. Same people in the room, same design, nothing re-explained. We build in stages so you see something working early instead of waiting months for a reveal. You get: a working system, documented, with your team trained on it.

Who runs it after it’s built?

Either we do, or your team does. We design it the same either way. The difference is who keeps it running on a Tuesday afternoon two years from now.

You can also change your mind. Plenty of clients start with us running it and move it in-house once their team grows. We build it so that’s possible, not so it’s painful.

How does the first engagement start?

Every engagement opens the same way, with a short, fixed piece of work so you can see how we think before you commit to anything larger.

Start here

A first look at the business

We spend time on site with you and your team, follow the work end to end, and come back with what we found and what we’d do about it. If there’s nothing worth fixing, we’ll tell you that and you’re done.

What you walk away with

  • What’s actually slowing the business down, in writing.
  • What we’d change, in what order, and why that order.
  • A cost and a return for each piece, so you can pick.
  • A clear answer on whether any of it needs us.
Start a conversation

There is no hand-off.

The usual story is that the person who understood your business sells the work and then disappears. That isn’t how this runs.

  • One person, start to finish. The same person is in the first meeting, writes the design, and is still there when it goes live.
  • Nothing gets re-explained. The team that builds it was in the room when we found the problem.
  • Your IT team is in it. They see the design before the build and they get the documentation after. They’re not told what happened later.

Who does what

The Fractional Syndicate diagnoses and designs. We talk to owners, presidents and COOs, and what you buy is clarity and a plan.

Syndicate Systems builds and runs. They work with you and your IT team, and what you buy is a working system, managed or handed off.

Visit Syndicate Systems

We recommend what fits your business, including tools you already own. You’re free to hand the design to your own team or your own vendor and build it without us. Most clients don’t, because we designed it and we’re the fastest way to get it done. But it stays your call.

Tell us what’s slowing you down.

We’ll tell you honestly whether we can help.

Start a conversation See the ongoing option