Filip Szalewicz

FREE 11-Page Playbook

Reduced engineering cycle Time 30-50% in 6-9 months — Without Adding Headcount.

 Download Free Guide

Fractional CTO Driving
Predictable Engineering Throughput & Decisions

20+ years as CTO / VP Engineering / Architect, I step into engineering teams and take ownership of ​throughput, predictability, and operational clarity with AI where it accelerates outcomes.

Questions or to Schedule a Session: info@solidcage.com

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Why Work with Me

FREE 11-Page Playbook

Reduced engineering cycle Time 30-50% in 6-9 months — Without Adding Headcount.

 Download Free Guide

Service Engagement Models

Standalone 
Engineering Audit 
Phase 1

Duration: 30 days
Price: $3,500
Deliverables:

  • Establish cycle time, bottlenecks, decision bottlenecks, and operational constraints 
  • Identification of pain points and AI opportunities
  • Prioritized AI tool and strategy roadmap
  • Initial consultation on cultural shifts

Best For: Startups and midsize companies seeking a low-risk way to assess and plan improvements.

AI Integration and Process Optimization
Phase 2

Duration: 6 Months
Price: $20,000
Deliverables:

  • Deployment of AI tools to reduce decision latency
  • Training for 20% of team as AI champions
  • Operational flow improvements and constraint removal
  • Initial architecture refinements for PMF
  • Monthly progress reviews

Best For: Companies ready to implement AI and optimize processes for measurable gains.

Full-Scale Transformation
Phase 3

Duration: 12 Months
Price: $40,000
Deliverables:

  • AI-augmented delivery systems
  • Embed ownership, clear decision rights, and continuous delivery disciplines (EOS, Topgrading)
  • Improve delivery predictability to reach PMF with AI-driven idea evaluation
  • Weekly releases and revenue-focused engineering workflows
  • Quarterly executive strategy reviews
  • On-site collaboration (optional)

Kickstart your transformation with a 1-month pilot at $3,000, offering a focused preview of hands-on fractional CTO support. Includes 10 hours of dedicated leadership (e.g., process baseline assessment, initial AI tool integration), 1 weekly 1-hour review to align on goals. 
Deliverable is a tailored roadmap with early KPIs (e.g., cycle time reduction targets). No lock-in, evaluate results before scaling up.

Best For: Companies committed to transformative growth and top-tier performance.

Book a Free 30-Minute Strategy Call

Hands-On Fractional CTO Leadership 
for Lasting Results

Phase 1

Learn and Analyze (30-60 Days)

Objective:
 Establish a baseline, align with stakeholders, and set the stage for AI and PMF gains.

Duration: 30-60 days, depending on client complexity.

Parallel Workstreams:
1. Client-Facing Discovery
2. Engineering Deep Dive

Deliverable by Day 60: A unified "Kickoff Deck" combining both reports, presented to leadership with initial AI tooling and PMF recommendations.

Phase 2

Implementation (3-6 Months)

Objective: Refine architecture, optimize processes and accelerate engineering with iterative wins.
Duration: 3-6 months, with weekly and monthly progress reviews. 

Activity Sequence:
1. Engineering Deep Dive (Months 1-2)
2. Architecture Refinement (Months 2-4)
3. Engineering Experience Overhaul (Months 3-6)

Reporting: Dashboards to management with KPIs, qualitative wins and next steps. 

Phase 3

Transformation (6-12 Months)

Objective: Deploy AI tools, refine processes, and ​improve delivery predictability to reach Product Market Fit with iterative wins.
Duration: 6-12 months, with weekly and monthly progress reviews.  On-site collaboration available.

Activity Sequence:
1.​ Engineering Deep Dive (Months 1-2)
2. Architecture Refinement (Months 2-4)
3. Engineering Experience Overhaul (Months 3-6)
4. PMF Acceleration - Idea Evaluator (Months 4-9)
5. Cultural Shift: Owner’s Mindset (Months 6-12)
6. Continuous Delivery (Months 6-12)

Reporting: Dashboards to management with KPIs, qualitative wins and next steps. 

Target ​Outcomes

1. Throughput: Meaningfully reduce cycle time and increase predictable releases
2. Operational Stability:  Reduce attrition and chaotic delivery interruptions
3. Signal over Noise:  Shift from variable engineering output to reliable cadence

How It Gets Done

Phase 1

Objective: Establish a baseline, align with stakeholders, and set the stage for AI and PMF gains.

Assess & Evaluate

Assess current engineering processes, including cycle time, turnover, and tech stack, to establish a baseline (e.g., cycle time = 10 days, turnover = 20%).

Evaluate client needs, such as PMF status, revenue goals, and retention challenges, by interviewing client success, sales, and marketing teams.

Identify & Define

Identify high-impact AI adoption opportunities, such as replacing manual QA with AI agents or automated code reviews, prioritize an "AI first before human hire" approach to enhance efficiency without expanding headcount.

Define metrics, core values, and OKRs, ensuring a single source of truth for tracking progress.

Outcome

This phase establishes baselines for all KPIs (e.g., Cycle Time, Turnover Rate), enabling measurable progress in Phase 2.

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Phase 2 & 3

Objective: Transform your engineering team into an AI-powered, 
PMF-focused powerhouse,  delivering measurable wins—faster cycles, stable talent, and soaring revenue.

Engineering Deep Dive & AI Opportunities 
(1-3 Months)

Action: Conduct a thorough assessment of current engineering processes, including cycle time, turnover rates, and tech stack, to establish baselines. Identify high-impact AI adoption opportunities, such as replacing manual QA with AI agents to improve efficiency without expanding headcount.

Impact: Uncovers bottlenecks and unlocks targeted AI integrations that automate repetitive tasks, freeing engineers for high-value innovation.

KPI: Cuts Cycle Time by 20-25% (10 to 7-8 days) by Month 3; boosts Rate of Innovation with faster ideation cycles.

Architecture Refinement 
(2-4 Months)

Action: Redesign your system to align with PMF goals—mapping outcomes like 99.9% uptime and 2x speed to budget and skills—while embedding AI across ingestion, compute, and CICD with self-healing features like auto-scaling.

Impact: Builds a lean, scalable architecture that minimizes downtime and lets your team focus on feature development over maintenance.

KPI: Reduces Cycle Time by an additional 10% (7-8 to 6-7 days) by Month 4; increases Revenue per FTE as output rises.

Engineering Experience Overhaul (3-6 Months)

Action: Streamline workflows with pre-configured dev environments (e.g., Docker), a 20% tech debt refactor, 1-day CICD cycles via GitHub Actions, and AI-driven docs/tests (50%+ automated), while defining "Done" to ensure quality.

Impact: Enables engineers to ship faster with less stress, shifting their focus from maintenance to innovation.

 KPI: Achieves a 30-50% Cycle Time reduction (10 to 5-7 days) by Month 6; increases Rate of Innovation to 3 features/quarter; lowers Turnover Rate to 15% (from 20%).

PMF Acceleration via Idea Evaluator 
(6-12 Months)

Action: Leverage the Idea Evaluator (People/Process/Tech, 80/20, Revenue/Risk) to score and test product ideas with AI insights (e.g., Grok ranks concepts), conducting 5-10 sales calls with client success to build a "hell yes" case study through 30-60-90 sprints.

Impact: Identifies true customer demand, eliminating guesswork and delivering products that resonate.

KPI: Boosts Client Retention Rate to 75-80% (from 70%) by Month 9; increases ARR by 10-20% ($2M to $2.2M-$2.4M); sustains Rate of Innovation at 3-4 features per quarter.

Cultural Shift: Owner’s Mindset 
(6-12 Months)

Action: Implement EOS (metrics, Level 10 meetings, OKRs) and Topgrading to hire/coach 1-2 A-players, while sharing my YouTube training content (e.g., "Systems Over Goals") and gamifying AI use with a "Prompt Leaderboard" to enhance engagement.

Impact: Aligns your team to a unified vision, boosting talent retention and fostering a strong sense of ownership.

KPI: Reduces Turnover Rate below 10% by Month 12; raises Revenue per FTE to $200k-$250k; achieves a Rate of Innovation of 4-6 features per quarter.

Continuous Delivery & Revenue Focus 
(6-12 Months)

Action: Implement PMF-driven CICD with weekly releases tied to client feedback, prioritizing the top 20% of ideas (Idea Evaluator) for revenue impact, and integrating engineering with client success for real-time iteration.

Impact: Delivers products customers truly want, driving business growth and enhancing loyalty.

KPI: Increases ARR by 20-40% ($2M to $2.4M-$2.8M) by Month 12; lifts Client Retention Rate to 80-85%; achieves Revenue per FTE of $250k+.

AI Resources

Master Strategist  - Game Theory Strategist
Achievement Architect  - Legendary Mentor

What You Get

  • Retain Top Talent with Stable, Innovative Teams
  • Drive Product Innovation for Peak Valuation
  • Cut Risk and Optimize Operations Fast
  • Improve Delivery Predictability to Reach PMF

About Me

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