Free Guide
Inside the guide
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Sam Halcrow, Fractional CTO · Sydney
253 companies · 16 years · 26 engineers · 5/5 client reviews
Read by founders and leaders at Westfield, Lendlease, Elgas, MYOB, Isuzu and 240+ more
NEVER AGAIN
Why custom software goes wrong, and how to build it so it doesn’t.
SAM HALCROW
+3 TOOLS
Get the free guide
I’ll email you the guide and all three tools. You won’t be added to a mailing list.
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Never Again: the 5-chapter guide (PDF)
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Quote comparison sheet
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Build readiness checklist
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A free 30-minute call with me, if you want one
Your details stay with me. I won’t share or sell your details.
Experience
I've learnt this working with enterprises and startups.
Does any of this sound familiar?
01
You have three quotes for the same project, and the highest is four times the lowest.
02
The budget is spent, but your developer says the software is still “nearly done”.
03
Your team runs on spreadsheets and you think software could help, but you’re not sure where to start.
04
Your software is live, but it keeps breaking and each change costs more than the last.
In most of the projects I’m brought into, the only technical advice the business had was from the company selling them the software.
What's inside
Each chapter ends with a question to ask your developer and what a good answer sounds like.
01
What to work out before you ask for a quote
Quotes vary when every developer is pricing a different idea of the project. These are the five questions I go through with every client in our first hour, so everyone quotes on the same thing.
02
How to compare software quotes
What a day rate hides, why the cheapest quote often ends up costing the most, and the line items that show whether a developer has done this kind of build before.
03
Why builds stall at “nearly done”
Projects usually stall at one of four stages. This chapter shows you how to tell which one yours is at and how to get it moving again.
04
Build custom software or buy off the shelf?
A one-page test I use with clients. Plenty of people who come to me for custom software are better off buying something first, and this helps you work out if that’s you.
05
What software costs to run once it’s live
Hosting, security, fixes and changes keep costing money after launch. You’ll see what a reasonable ongoing cost looks like for a business your size, and the number that tells you something’s off.
Who's behind the book
Fractional CTO · Founder, Halcrow · Sydney
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16 years leading software projects, 1M+ engineering hours delivered
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253 companies, 5/5 average client review
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Technical leader for founders and leaders who have never seen code
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Says no when no is the right answer, even when it costs a project
Hi, I’m Sam. I’ve spent 16 years leading technology for businesses, and I’m often brought in after a project has already gone off track.
Most of my clients are founders and owners who are very good at their business and have no interest in becoming software experts to get some built. Some come to me with quotes that are 4x apart. Others have a build that’s been “nearly done” for months, or live software that costs more to run every quarter.
That usually happens because there was no one technical on their side when the early decisions were made, so the only advice they had was from the company selling the software.
As a fractional CTO, I make those decisions with you early and explain them in a way that makes sense. I’ll also tell you when something isn’t worth building, even if that means we don’t work together. I've done this for 253 companies, and I don't take more than a dozen clients at a time so I can be on every one.
This guide covers what I’d go through with you in our first hour of working together. It’s what I’d tell you if we sat down before you signed anything.
You don’t need to learn how software is built. You need someone on your side who already knows.
Three tools included
TOOL 01
Line item
Quote A
Quote B
Quote C
Quote comparison sheet
Put up to three quotes side by side and compare the lines that matter. It takes about 15 minutes and shows you what each quote has left out.
TOOL 02
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Do you know what version one must do?
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Have you priced the off-the-shelf option?
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Who owns the hosting account?
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What does ‘done’ mean, in writing?
Build readiness checklist
Twelve questions that help you work out whether you’re ready to build, better off buying something off the shelf, or need to plan a bit more first.
TOOL 03
30 min with Sam Halcrow
Video call · bring your sheet and checklist
Pick a time
A 30-minute call with me
Bring the sheet and the checklist and we'll go through them together. If I can help, I’ll say so. If I can’t, I’ll say that too.
Fractional CTO and engineering team for founders and business leaders. Sydney, Australia.
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