RootStone Partners
Executive Engineering Advisory
Executive Engineering Advisory for Growth-Stage Software Companies
I'm Alan Bollinger. For 25 years I've stepped into software companies where engineering stopped serving the business and turned it back into a growth engine. I work three ways: a fixed-scope engineering assessment, technical due diligence, and fractional or interim engineering leadership.
Engineering is a business function. We make sure it performs like one.
Is This You?
I work with CEOs, founders, boards, and investors when engineering has become a business problem. You may be a good fit if:
If this describes your company, you're exactly who I do this work for.
How I Work
No open-ended retainers or vague scopes. Each one has a clear boundary and a concrete deliverable, so you always know exactly what you are buying. Most people start with an assessment.
Start here
The lowest-risk way to start. In about two weeks I diagnose your delivery, organization, architecture, and leadership, and find what is actually holding engineering back.
You get: a written findings report and a prioritized 90-day action plan, walked through with you live.
For CEOs, founders & boards
See the assessmentAn independent read on a company's engineering before you commit capital: architecture, team, roadmap credibility, security, and the risks that do not show up in a pitch deck.
You get: a diligence report you can put in front of an investment committee, inside a fixed timeline.
For investors & boards
Discuss a dealI step in as your engineering leader, part-time or interim, when you are between CTOs, scaling fast, or turning delivery around. Strategy, hiring, execution, and board-ready reporting.
You get: a senior operator accountable to outcomes and a monthly cadence, without a full-time hire.
For companies between or beyond a CTO
Talk it throughThe RootStone Method
Four phases, refined across 25 years of stepping into engineering organizations that stopped serving the business.
Understand the business, the engineering organization, delivery practices, architecture, and leadership. Facts before opinions.
Address the issues causing the most immediate business risk. Restore predictable delivery and rebuild trust with the executive team.
Improve engineering leadership, team structure, processes, hiring, and technical direction so gains hold without me in the room.
Create the systems and organizational foundations needed for sustainable growth, including hiring or coaching your permanent CTO.
Case Studies
Real engagements, real outcomes. The same pattern each time: engineering had stopped serving the business, and I turned it back into a growth engine.
ProcessMaker · Scaling & Series A
Architected ProcessMaker 4 from scratch and built the global engineering organization to deliver it, across Las Vegas, Bolivia, and North Carolina.
Team scaled from 1 to 60+ engineers; $45M Series A raised.
Grand Canyon Education · Agile Turnaround
Replaced Agile theater with authentic practice: fixed story sizing, WIP limits, CI/CD, and blocker-focused leadership, without adding headcount.
Velocity doubled; sprint success rose from 40% to 90%.
Xsolla · Team Building
Hired for growth potential and stood up a balanced four-person team supporting enterprise gaming clients like Roblox and VISA and Mastercard integrations.
Four engineers hired in six months; 100% career growth.
In Their Words
A sample of the recommendations from the people who have hired Alan and worked alongside him.
Alan led the charge in development of an entirely new product. He assembled an outstanding team of engineers with no ego and a singular focus on product quality. He brought an uncompromising vision and helped the company navigate the uncertainties of a pandemic. A true professional who would make an excellent addition to any company.
Alan is intelligent and incredibly hard working. He is a remarkable person, highly capable and confident, and it was a privilege to work with him.
Alan helped our company rebuild and relaunch a fast, well-designed, and useful website. He is an expert in overall web development, and I would highly recommend him for any project.
Alan is a passionate leader, as naturally focused on his team's wellbeing as their output. His skill helping both technical and non-technical teams navigate difficult deadlines and demanding circumstances was phenomenal. He is not afraid to ask hard questions or push the envelope to get impactful results, while keeping everyone on the same team.
Alan is a creative self-starter who added sophistication and flair to our corporate web sites.
I could not have asked for a better first manager and mentor. His capabilities as an agile team leader and his expertise in full-stack development are nothing short of masterful. Any company, project, or team would be lucky to have Alan either on board or at the helm.
Meet Alan
I'm Alan Bollinger, founder of RootStone Partners. For more than 25 years I've stepped into high-stakes situations where engineering stopped serving the business and turned it back into a growth engine.
I've grown engineering organizations past 60 people, supported a $45M raise through technical due diligence, doubled delivery velocity in turnaround situations, reduced infrastructure costs at scale, and launched new engineering offices from scratch, across multiple companies, industries, and stages of growth.
I'm not a consultant who sells hours. I work as part of your leadership team: alongside the CEO, accountable to the board, and focused on one outcome, which is engineering that increases company value.
RootStone Partners is my practice. Today I lead every engagement personally, and I'm building a team of partners who hold the same standard, so the bench grows without the bar dropping.
Insights
Written for the people who sign the contracts: CEOs, founders, boards, and investors, not for engineers.
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Let's Talk
No pitch deck and no discovery questionnaire. Bring the problem, and in 30 minutes I'll give you a direct read on it and tell you whether an assessment, due diligence, fractional leadership, or nothing at all is the right next step. You talk to me, not a salesperson.