03 Maintain
Stack diagnostics
A two-week look at where the operating cost is hiding.
What it is
Stack diagnostics are short paid engagements that audit an existing stack and map where the operating cost is leaking. Two to three weeks of structured work covering the tools, the workflows, the integrations, and the gaps. The output is a written diagnosis with a recommended sequence of work, whether that's with us or with someone else.
Who it's for
Operators who suspect their stack is the problem but haven't pinned the diagnosis. Firms inheriting a system from a previous founder, agency, or acquisition. Leadership teams whose internal voices and external voices are giving different answers about where to invest next.
What's included
- Stack inventory across tools, contracts, and integrations
- Workflow audit across the highest-cost recurring processes
- Cost analysis (license, time, opportunity)
- Recommendation document with sequencing
- Two strategic conversations during the engagement
- Optional rollover into a build or Maintain retainer
FAQ
- How is this different from the strategy and architecture capability?
- Strategy and architecture is about a build that hasn't happened yet. Stack diagnostics is about a stack that already exists and isn't working. Different question, different deliverable.
- What does the deliverable look like?
- A document, usually 10 to 25 pages. The current stack mapped, the costs identified, the recommended sequence, and the tradeoffs at each fork.
- Can this roll into a build engagement?
- Yes. If the diagnostic recommends a build, the fee gets credited against the build proposal. We don't double-charge the diagnosis.
- What if the recommendation is to fire DOTxLabs?
- Then the recommendation is to fire DOTxLabs. The diagnostic deliverable is honest because the engagement only works if it is.