I get hands-on with systems that have stopped scaling.
Not a report handed off from the outside. I work directly in the codebase, alongside the people who own it, until it's simpler, safer to change, and cheaper to run.
Two kinds of engagement
Diagnostic / audit
A time-boxed look at a system that's stopped scaling: where the complexity is, what can be removed, and the shortest path back to fast, safe change. You get a clear picture and a plan.
Ongoing / embedded
Hands-on work alongside your team to actually make the changes: architecture, AI adoption, cost, and the engineering practices that make speed sustainable.
What I actually do
Simplify the architecture
Find what can be deleted before looking for what can be optimized. Size the system to its real constraints, not a bigger company's.
Rebuild the safe path
Real local dev environments, honest test coverage, dependable pipelines, and monitoring that tells the truth, so deploying stops being an event.
Adopt AI where it earns it
Spec-first workflows, multi-agent orchestration, and prompt evaluation, introduced with enough structure that speed doesn't cost comprehension.
Rebuild shared understanding
Work directly with the engineers who own the code so the system stays legible after I'm gone, not just faster while I'm there.
Tell me what's stuck.
Start with a 30-minute call. No prep needed, just tell me what's going on and we'll figure out together whether this is a fit.
Book a 30-minute callPrefer email? Reach out at brian@brianchildress.co, or connect on LinkedIn.