Who this is for
Engineering managers, principal engineers, and product-tech pairs who need an independent reading of a backend before committing budget to a rewrite, service split, or public API freeze.
What you receive
- A written architecture brief (typically 8–15 pages) covering context, findings, risks, and prioritized recommendations
- Annotated notes on the diagrams and OpenAPI (or equivalent) materials you supply
- A 90-minute walkthrough call for the owning team
- Optional follow-on office hours (quoted separately)
What is included
- Review of architecture diagrams, repository maps, and runbooks you designate as in-scope
- Up to four interviews (45 minutes each) with engineers or product partners you nominate
- Assessment of service boundaries, coupling, data ownership, and failure propagation
- API contract hygiene where it affects the architecture (naming, versioning, error models)
- A ranked list of issues: must-address before launch, should-address next quarter, and park-for-later
What is excluded
- Hands-on coding or pull-request delivery
- Load testing or security penetration testing
- Vendor selection sales pitches
- Unlimited Slack availability during the review window
How we work
- Scoping call — confirm the decision this review must inform and the systems in bounds.
- Materials intake — you share diagrams, specs, and access notes under NDA if required.
- Reading & interviews — we examine the design and speak with the people who own the seams.
- Draft findings — you get a first pass for factual correction only.
- Final brief + walkthrough — recommendations locked for circulation inside your org.
Preparation
Useful inputs: a current system context diagram, a list of known pain points, sample API specs, and a named decision date. Incomplete materials slow the review more than imperfect diagrams do.
Constraints
We do not replace your architects. We pressure-test the design under the constraints you name — latency budgets, regulatory retention, team size, and release cadence. If the materials cannot support a responsible opinion, we say so early and pause billing for the unused portion.
Next step
Request a review inquiry with a short description of the system and the decision hanging on the findings. We reply within two business days with fit, timing, and an estimate.