Fractional architecture

An enterprise architect on retainer for companies that need the role without a full-time hire. Moran Solutions owns the target architecture, reviews vendor and integrator proposals, and advises on the decisions that shape your systems.

When this is the right fit

  • A system decision needs an independent review

    A CFO, COO, or CIO is being asked to approve an ERP upgrade, an integration platform, or a vendor contract and wants an independent assessment before signing.

  • The IT team is staffed for operations, not architecture

    The people who keep the systems running are not resourced to design how the next system fits. That work needs someone whose job it is.

  • Each vendor proposes its own architecture

    Every proposal arrives with an architecture attached. The company needs its own view of how the whole fits together.

What changes

  • One target architecture, written down

    A single document that says what systems you run, how they connect, and where each new thing should go. Every proposal gets measured against it.

  • An independent review of every proposal

    Independent of any vendor or product. Every proposal gets a second assessment from architects who have built these systems.

  • Continuity without a full-time hire

    A few days a month keeps the architecture current and decisions consistent, at a fraction of the cost of a senior architect on payroll.

What you get

  • Target architecture document, kept current as systems change
  • Written review of vendor proposals, contracts, and statements of work
  • A seat in architecture and investment decisions, with a written recommendation for each
  • Standards for new integrations and systems so the picture holds

How an engagement runs

Assessment, plan, build. Each phase ends with a written result you keep.

  1. 1Assessment

    A few weeks of looking at what you have: systems, integrations, customizations, and the people who keep them running. You get a written picture of the current state and a ranked list of what to change first.

  2. 2Plan

    A target architecture and a phased plan: the order of work, what each phase depends on, and a cost estimate. The first phase is sized to deliver something you can use.

  3. 3Build and hand off

    We do the work alongside your team. Documentation and knowledge transfer are part of every phase. Your team owns the result.

Related work

Talk about a retainer

Describe the decisions coming up in the next year. We will scope what a retainer would cover and how many days a month it needs.