Retainer / Eight days per month
Lead
Ownership across several teams, or a programme with a hard date.
Who this is for
Several teams work on one product, or a programme (a migration, an international rollout, a platform launch) has a date that a board or a key account is watching. Somebody has to own the whole thing end to end, and build the operating model that survives after they leave.
per month, net plus VAT. Three-month minimum.
What happens
- Every weekTwo days on average. Cross-team prioritisation, the programme roadmap, the decisions between teams, and the specs for the critical path.
- Every monthRelease-scoped roadmap across teams, a decision log, risk and dependency review, a written check-in for the sponsor.
- Every quarterA review with the board or the operating partner, and an updated operating model: rituals, roles, how decisions get made without me.
What you get
- End-to-end ownership across several teams or one programme.
- A programme roadmap with release scope and dependencies.
- An operating model (rituals, roles, decision rights) written down and in use.
- Board-level reporting and the numbers behind it.
- Weekly written check-in, monthly decision log, quarterly review.
Terms
Retainers run for a minimum of three months. A six-month commitment reduces the rate by 8 percent, quarterly prepayment by 5 percent. All figures net, plus VAT. Access to your tools and documents from day one is part of the agreement, as is the weekly written check-in. Days are spread across the month, in your cadence.
FAQ
Questions that come up on the first call.
Is Lead the same as an interim VP Product?
Close in scope, different in shape. Eight days a month instead of twenty, with the explicit goal of building a model that runs without me and handing over to a full-time lead.
Do you manage product managers?
I coordinate them across the programme, but I do not do line management. If you need somebody to build and manage a PM team, that is a different hire.
What is the minimum term?
Three months, though programmes usually run six. A six-month commitment reduces the rate by 8 percent.
Not sure Lead is the right size?
Thirty minutes and you will know. Bring the product area that keeps slipping.