A full reading of your technology against the Sixteen Pillars framework, in writing, by someone with no implementation work to sell.
You have technology that mostly works. You have a team that knows parts of it deeply. What you do not have — and what you cannot easily get from inside the business — is a comprehensive reading of your technology across the full Sixteen Pillars framework, written for the people who have to decide where to invest, what to control, and what to leave alone.
That is what this engagement is.
€15,000. Three to four weeks. Delivered in writing, with a presentation to whoever needs to hear it.
Fixed fee. No implementation work. No commissions. No product recommendations influenced by suppliers.
Why clients commission a review
A Review is usually triggered by a specific moment. Most often, one of these:
- Leadership has done a Technology Control Assessment and wants to go deeper, across the full framework.
- A board is preparing for significant investment and wants framework-grade evidence before approving it.
- Multiple recurring issues across the business suggest the problem is governance, not the technology itself.
- A merger or acquisition has created two technology cultures that need to be reconciled.
- A new operating model — PE-backed, internationalised, regulated — requires documented evidence of control.
- A new CEO, CTO, or non-executive has joined and wants an independent baseline before committing to a plan.
- Technology costs are growing faster than revenue and the cause is not understood from inside the business.
- A regulator has signalled an upcoming inspection or thematic review and a comprehensive baseline is needed.
If one of these is the position you are in, the Review is built for it.
Who this is for
Owners, MDs, and CEOs of established businesses — typically 100 to 500 staff, €10m+ revenue — who want a comprehensive, framework-grade reading of their technology.
Boards and non-executives preparing for significant investment, transaction, or regulatory events where framework-grade evidence is required.
Newly-appointed CEOs, CTOs, and CIOs who want a comprehensive baseline of what they have inherited before committing to a multi-year plan.
Compliance committees and risk functions preparing for thematic reviews or external audits where evidence of control maturity is required.
Who this is not for
Pre-revenue businesses or technology startups. The framework assumes an established operating business with technology that has accumulated over time.
Buyers wanting a single-pillar deep dive — that is an Architecture Review (architecture), Data Governance Review (data), or similar.
Acquirers and investors on a live deal. That work is Technology Due Diligence, with different scope and commercial terms.
Owners wanting validation of decisions already made. The Review will tell you the truth, including the parts that are uncomfortable.
What you receive
The Review tells you three things in writing: where you stand against the full framework, where the priorities are, and what to address first. Five artefacts, delivered together, in plain language.
A scored framework reading. Your business assessed against the full Sixteen Pillars framework, with evidence for each pillar. Written, defensible, and repeatable in twelve months to track change.
Pillar-by-pillar findings. What was found in each of the sixteen pillars — governance, architecture, data, security, compliance, people, standards, and the others — with the underlying evidence and the implications for the business.
A risk register sorted by business impact. Every material risk identified during the Review, ranked by what it does to the business. Each entry names the risk, the pillar it sits in, and what it would take to address.
A twelve-month priority roadmap. What to address first, second, third, sequenced across the next year. Each item costed in rough effort and named against the risk or opportunity it addresses.
A board presentation. A one-hour session with whoever needs to hear the findings — you, your board, your technology committee, an incoming investor. Findings presented, challenged, and discussed in the room.
Typical outcomes
Most Reviews result in one of four conclusions.
The business is sound across the framework. No material gaps identified. Future investment can focus on growth rather than governance.
Specific pillars need investment. The Review identifies particular pillars where governance, control, or capability has not kept pace with the business. The roadmap names them and the work to address.
Multiple gaps suggest a broader programme of work. The Review surfaces enough across the framework to warrant a sequenced programme of investment over the next year.
Critical exposure requires immediate intervention. Specific findings should be addressed before any major change, investment, or transaction event.
The Review tells you which of these your business is in, and what follows from it.
How the Review runs
Three to four weeks, in four phases.
Week one — scoping and inventory. Stakeholder mapping, document gathering, framework configuration to your business. The Review is calibrated before it begins.
Week two — interviews and evidence gathering. Interviews across every pillar — leadership, technical, operational, compliance, vendor. Evidence collected against each pillar.
Week three — synthesis and writing. Findings written up into the artefacts above. Scoring calibrated. Recommendations sequenced.
Week four — presentation and revisions. The board-cycle session, scheduled around your existing rhythm. Revisions if anything in the report needs to be tightened.
Everything is written before it is said. Nothing is presented to your board that you have not read first.
What this is not
A single-pillar deep dive. For architectural depth, see the Architecture Review; for data, the Data Governance Review; for vendor and supplier risk, the Supplier & Dependency Review.
A remediation engagement. We identify and recommend; we do not implement.
A regulatory audit or certification. The Review can inform one, but it does not substitute for one.
A penetration test or security assessment. Security architecture is in scope as one pillar; offensive testing is a specialist engagement.
The Technology Control Review is not a technology purchase. It is a strategic decision tool.
The purpose of the engagement is not to fix every gap. It is to give leadership a comprehensive, evidence-based reading of where the business stands — so the next twelve months of investment, governance, and risk decisions are made on the basis of evidence, not impression.
Proof
References available on request. Anonymised excerpts from prior reviews available on request.
What happens next
Start a ConversationThirty minutes. We confirm fit, scope, and timing. You decide whether to proceed. No proposal is sent unless you ask for one.
Start with the Technology Control Assessment — €4,950A scored framework reading delivered in three to five working days. The right starting point if you want to test the framework and the working relationship before committing to the full Review.
For ongoing executive technology oversight, see Fractional CTO.