Senior Development Guidance for Critical Builds
Building software that lasts requires more than writing code. It requires sound architecture, disciplined engineering practices, and clear technical decision-making. Poor foundations compound quickly. Good ones accelerate everything that follows.
The OATH Studio provides development-focused consulting for teams that need clarity, direction, and senior-level judgment. This is not abstract advice. It is grounded in real-world system design, production failures, scaling challenges, and long-term maintenance realities.
Why Development Consulting?
Get senior engineering judgment without long-term overhead
Production-Grade Experience
We have designed, shipped, and maintained real systems under real constraints. Advice is based on what survives in production, not theory.
Unbiased Technical Review
We identify architectural flaws, technical debt, and scaling risks objectively, without attachment to existing decisions.
Faster, Safer Delivery
Clear technical direction reduces rework, avoids dead ends, and keeps teams moving forward with confidence.
Long-Term Maintainability
Decisions are evaluated based on lifecycle cost, operational burden, and team sustainability.
Engagement Models
Flexible formats based on scope and urgency
Hourly Consulting
Targeted senior input
- Architecture questions
- Code review sessions
- Design validation
- Performance troubleshooting
- No long-term commitment
Project-Based Review
Clear deliverables and outcomes
- Architecture documentation
- Codebase audit
- Scalability assessment
- Refactoring roadmap
- Written recommendations
Fractional Technical Lead
Ongoing senior engineering leadership
- Technical direction
- Design approvals
- Engineering standards
- Team mentorship
- Critical decision support
Common Consulting Topics
Areas where we provide expert guidance
Architecture & Design
Microservices vs monoliths, event-driven systems, API design patterns, database architecture, caching strategies, and system integration patterns.
Scalability & Performance
Horizontal scaling strategies, load balancing, database optimization, CDN implementation, performance monitoring, and capacity planning.
Security & Compliance
Secure coding practices, GDPR compliance, SOC 2 preparation, penetration testing coordination, data encryption, and authentication architecture.
DevOps & Infrastructure
CI/CD pipeline design, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), cloud migration strategies (AWS, GCP, Azure), and infrastructure-as-code.
Team & Process
Agile implementation, code review processes, technical career ladders, hiring and interview processes, and remote team management.
Technology Selection
Framework evaluation, database selection, cloud provider comparison, SaaS tool evaluation, and build vs. buy decision frameworks.
Consulting Process
How we deliver strategic guidance
Free Discovery Call
Start with a free conversation to understand your challenges, goals, and context. Sometimes a single call provides the clarity you need. If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you honestly and may recommend alternatives.
Scope & Proposal
For larger engagements, we define clear scope, deliverables, timeline, and pricing. You know exactly what you're getting before committing. No vague 'it depends' consulting engagements.
Deep Dive
We dive into your codebase, documentation, and systems. Interview team members, review architectures, analyze metrics, and gather the information needed for informed recommendations rather than surface-level opinions.
Analysis & Recommendations
Synthesize findings into clear, actionable recommendations documented in writing. You get insights with prioritized next steps, effort estimates, and risk assessments not just theoretical advice.
Implementation Support
Need help executing recommendations? We can support implementation through ongoing consulting, fractional CTO arrangements, or transitioning to our development services. We don't just advise we can help build.
Who We Help
Strategic guidance for every stage
Startups
Pre-Seed/Seed: Validate technical feasibility, choose the right tech stack without over-engineering, build MVP architecture that can scale. Series A/B: Scale architecture and team for growth, hire technical leadership, establish engineering processes. Growth Stage: Optimize performance, reduce infrastructure costs, manage technical debt, prepare for enterprise customers.
Consulting vs. Full-Time CTO
Understanding when each makes sense
Full-Time CTO
- Deeply embedded in day-to-day operations
- Always available for urgent decisions
- Represents technical leadership to board/investors
- $200k-$400k+ annual salary plus equity
- 3-6 months to recruit the right person
- Risk of bad hire is very costly
- May have expertise gaps in areas you need
Fractional CTO / Consulting
- Access senior expertise immediately
- Fraction of full-time CTO cost ($8k-$20k/month)
- Broad expertise across many domains
- Objective outside perspective without politics
- Flexible scale up or down as needed
- Not full-time embedded in operations
- Limited availability for day-to-day decisions
Development Consulting Services
Hands-on technical guidance
We design and review system architectures with a focus on simplicity, resilience, and long-term viability. Tradeoffs are made explicitly, not accidentally.
Key Features
- System design diagrams
- Monolith vs distributed analysis
- API and data flow design
- Scalability planning
- Security and failure modeling
What's Included
Architecture design and system reviews
Code quality audits and refactoring strategy
Performance and scalability planning
Development process and delivery optimization
Technical leadership and team guidance
Technologies We Use
Investment
Hourly consulting, project-based engagements, or fractional technical leadership.
Starting From
$300/hour
