Decision memo
A clear recommendation with the alternatives, supporting evidence, open questions, and tradeoffs.
Independent product and technology review
Know what to fund, fix, or stop.
Spanwork gives software leaders an independent recommendation and 90-day plan for one high-stakes decision in 10 working days.
Repair the current bottleneck now. Reconsider replacement after testing the next planned commitment.
- Recommendation
- Repair the bottleneck and change the sequence
- Evidence required
- Test whether the platform can support the next planned commitment
- Decision owner
- Product and technology leaders
An independent answer, not a preferred solution.
Spanwork evaluates the decision before your team commits more budget or time. The Review may recommend repairing, rebuilding, changing the sequence, testing first, or pausing the larger program.
A complete standalone review
The engagement ends with a decision memo, constraint map, 90-day plan, and leadership readout.
Your team keeps the work
Your team owns the recommendation and plan. You can execute it internally or with another partner.
Additional support is optional
Further support is discussed only if the recommendation shows it would help.
Call Spanwork when the decision cannot wait.
The Review is for software leaders who need to make one high-stakes product or platform decision this quarter. Common triggers include slowing delivery, rising rewrite pressure, a major customer request, or unclear ownership.
- Should we repair the current platform or start replacing it?
- Can we safely support the next customer or product commitment?
- What needs investment now, and what can wait?
- Is delivery slowing because of architecture, sequencing, ownership, or a combination?
- What should leadership require before approving the work?
Spanwork reviews only what the decision requires.
This is not a broad technology audit. The decision owner and relevant product and engineering leads share the information needed to answer the question.
Product and business
- Conversations with leadership, product, and engineering
- Roadmap commitments and customer requirements
- The business goal and definition of success
Platform and delivery
- Architecture and system documentation
- Selected code, configuration, or infrastructure
- Delivery history, incidents, and operational signals
Ownership
- Who makes the decision and who resolves issues
- Team and vendor responsibilities
- Checkpoints before the team makes the next commitment
A clear recommendation in 10 working days.
The 10 working days begin once the agreed participants, information, and access are available. Spanwork focuses on the questions most likely to change the answer.
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Days 1-2
Understand the decision
Agree on the question, business goal, risks, decision owner, and definition of success. -
Days 3-6
Review the information
Examine the relevant product, technical, operational, and delivery information. -
Days 7-8
Test the key assumptions
Investigate the unknowns most likely to change the recommendation. -
Days 9-10
Recommend the path
Deliver the recommendation, decision memo, 90-day plan, and leadership readout.
A simple way to start.
You do not need a finished brief or a commitment to a larger program. Start with the decision, why it matters now, and what happens if it waits.
1. Share the decision
Use the short form or email a high-level summary. Do not send credentials, source code, customer data, or system access.
2. Confirm the fit
Spanwork clarifies the decision, owner, timing, participants, and evidence needed before defining the work.
3. Decide from a written scope
If the Review fits, you receive the scope, schedule, deliverables, access requirements, and fixed fee before proceeding.
What your team receives.
Four practical deliverables turn the decision into a plan your team can act on.
Constraint map
A view of the product commitments, platform dependencies, and ownership issues affecting the decision.
90-day action plan
A sequenced plan with owners, checkpoints, and the information needed before the next commitment.
Leadership readout
A working session for leaders to question the recommendation, resolve open points, and agree on the path.
Illustrative example
See what the recommendation looks like.
This example shows the format and level of detail. It is not client work.
- Decision to make
- Should the team start a full platform rewrite before it commits to enterprise identity and audit controls?
- Recommendation
- Do not begin a full rewrite yet. Separate identity and audit responsibilities, test the integration boundary, and measure one release cycle first.
- Why
- A full rewrite bundles several unanswered questions into one hard-to-reverse investment. A smaller change can produce evidence before leadership makes the larger decision.
- Decision checkpoint
- After the test, keep the current platform, replace the problem component, or approve a broader rebuild.
First 30 days
- Name the executive decision owner.
- Document the identity and audit boundaries.
- Run a focused test of the integration path.
- Agree on delivery, reliability, and rollback signals.
- Hold a checkpoint once the evidence is available.
Your Review is led by Jose Alvarado.
Jose leads every engagement from the first working session through the final recommendation.
CTO at Micr
Current responsibility for both product and platform.
At Micr, Jose is responsible for product direction, UX, architecture, and infrastructure for an invite-only beta social gaming platform. His current work covers reliability, recovery, observability, security, and operating cost.
Micr is Jose's current operating role. It is not a Spanwork client engagement.
Questions about the Review.
The written scope defines the decision, participants, information, access, deliverables, timeline, and fee before you commit.
What kind of decision fits the Review?
One product or platform decision that software leaders must make this quarter. Examples include whether to repair or replace a platform, accept a major customer commitment, fund a roadmap program, or fix an ownership problem.
What does Spanwork examine?
Only the information needed to answer the question. That may include focused interviews, roadmap and customer commitments, architecture documentation, selected code or configuration, delivery history, incidents, operating signals, and decision ownership.
Is this a general technology audit?
No. The Review answers one defined decision. It is not a broad maturity assessment or an exhaustive audit of every system.
Who needs to participate?
The decision owner and relevant product and engineering leads join focused working sessions and the final readout. The written scope defines the people, information, access, and time required before you proceed.
What do we receive?
A decision memo, constraint map, 90-day action plan, and leadership readout. The memo explains the recommendation, alternatives, supporting evidence, open questions, and tradeoffs.
What if the Review does not support a larger investment?
The Review may recommend a smaller change, a focused test, a different sequence, or no additional funding yet. The memo and plan record any open questions and the evidence needed before the next decision.
What does the Review cost?
Spanwork prices each Review as a fixed-scope, fixed-fee engagement. After a short fit conversation, you receive the fee in writing with the scope, timeline, deliverables, and access requirements before you decide whether to proceed.
Is follow-on work required?
No. The Review is a standalone engagement. Your team owns the recommendation and plan. Any additional support is optional and scoped separately.
How does Spanwork handle access to sensitive material?
Spanwork limits access to the information needed for the decision and defines the exact boundary in the written scope. Do not send confidential system material through the website inquiry form.
Get a written scope before you decide.
Share the decision and timing in a short fit conversation. If the Review is a fit, Spanwork sends the scope, timeline, deliverables, access requirements, and fixed fee in writing. Additional support is optional.