Technical Consulting

Engineering-led guidance for teams that need an outside perspective. Architecture validation, vendor assessment, and strategic planning grounded in hands-on experience shipping software.

Technical Audits

Codebase, infrastructure, and architecture review with written findings

Architectural Planning

System design and technology selection your team can build against

Vendor Evaluation

Objective assessment of proposals, deliverables, and technical fit

Engineering Guidance for Complex Projects

Not every engagement requires hands-on development. Sometimes the problem is architectural. The team is capable but needs an outside perspective to validate an approach, diagnose a systemic issue, or plan the next phase of a build.

Technical consulting at 84EM is engineering-led, not slide-deck-driven. Every recommendation is grounded in hands-on experience building and shipping software across industries.

ARCHITECTURE_RISK

tech_debt: ACCUMULATING

scalability: UNKNOWN

documentation: INCOMPLETE

Vendor Accountability

Agencies miss deadlines. Freelancers go quiet. Internal teams hit walls they can't explain to stakeholders. Without independent technical oversight, there is no way to know whether the work is sound or the timeline is realistic.

We evaluate deliverables, review codebases, and give you a clear technical picture so decisions are based on evidence, not promises.

What Consulting Looks Like

Technical Audits

A thorough review of your codebase, infrastructure, deployment pipeline, and architecture. We identify performance bottlenecks, security vulnerabilities, scalability limitations, and maintenance risks. You get a written report with prioritized recommendations and a clear remediation path.

Architectural Planning

Designing the technical architecture for a new build or a major refactor. Technology selection, system design, integration strategy, and deployment planning. We produce documentation your team can execute against.

Vendor Evaluation

Assessing proposals, codebases, or deliverables from agencies, freelancers, or internal teams. If you're not sure whether what was built is good, whether a proposal is realistic, or whether a vendor is the right fit, we provide an objective technical evaluation.

AI Readiness Assessment

Evaluating whether AI is the right tool for a specific business problem, and if so, what the implementation path looks like. We assess your existing data, systems, and team capabilities to determine feasibility before you invest in a build.

Stack & Platform Guidance

Choosing between platforms, frameworks, hosting providers, or architectural approaches. We provide recommendations based on your specific requirements, team skills, and business constraints rather than preference or trends.

Who This Is For

Agencies

Need senior engineering input on client projects. Architecture review, code audit, technical strategy for complex builds. White-label or client-facing.

Internal Teams

Stuck on a technical decision. Build vs. buy, platform migration, refactoring strategy, performance optimization. An outside perspective to break the deadlock.

Executives & Stakeholders

Need to understand the technical state of a project. Is it on track? Is the architecture sound? Is the vendor delivering quality work? We translate engineering reality into business terms.

Startups

Need technical leadership without a full-time CTO. Architecture decisions, vendor oversight, technical hiring guidance, and strategic planning for the engineering side of the business.

How We Work

Consulting engagements are structured around specific questions or deliverables. You define the problem. We assess, analyze, and deliver recommendations in a format your team can act on.

Engagements range from a focused half-day audit to ongoing advisory relationships. Every engagement is handled directly by Andrew Miller, with 31 years of experience across the full stack.

Get Expert Guidance

Free Consultation

Planning a new project or evaluating an existing one? We'll bring an outside perspective and a concrete plan.

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