Clarity on Your Software Architecture
Know where your software really stands — and what makes sense next. My Architecture Review gives you an honest assessment and actionable recommendations.
Request Architecture Review
Who is the Architecture Review for?
A Solid Basis for Your Roadmap
You're a CTO, Tech Lead, or Engineering Manager — and you need a neutral, external perspective on your architecture.
- An independent assessment of your architecture, free from internal blind spots
- Clear risk evaluation: where technical debt is critical, where it's acceptable
- Prioritised recommendations you can integrate directly into your roadmap
- A structured result you can use internally as a basis for decisions
An Honest Assessment, Clearly Explained
You're a Managing Director or in a business-facing role — and you want to understand where your software really stands.
- A comprehensible evaluation of your software situation without technical jargon
- Transparency on where your development team stands and what it needs
- A clear assessment of whether your technology fits your current business phase
- Actionable recommendations with effort estimates you can evaluate commercially
Formats and Investment
Not every project needs a full audit right away. That's why there are three levels of depth — from a focused single-day engagement to a comprehensive technical assessment. Each format is self-contained and delivers a concrete result.
Discovery
1 dayAn external perspective on your architecture — no weeks of preparation, no upfront commitment to more. The right format when you need clarity fast and want to know where you stand.
- Clarifying business context and goals
- Technical overview and architecture workshop
- Written summary report with assessment and recommended next steps
Basic
3 daysEverything from Discovery, plus a structured review of the codebase. The right choice when architecture and implementation quality need to be assessed together.
- Everything from Discovery
- Code review (structure, quality, critical areas)
- Extended, prioritized recommendations
Audit / Technical Due Diligence
Individual scopeFor situations where a high-level assessment isn't enough — M&A, major restructuring, or complex systems where incomplete clarity carries real risk.
- All components from Discovery and Basic
- Expert interviews (developers, architects, stakeholders)
- Support during implementation of initial measures
Recommendation: Start with Discovery.
For most situations, Discovery is the right first step. You invest one day, get a grounded external perspective — and know afterwards whether more depth makes sense. The decision to go further stays with you.
What You Actually Receive
Diagnosis with Risk Assessment
Where does your architecture stand, and where is it becoming critical? A systematic review with a clear assessment of which risks need immediate attention and which are acceptable.
Prioritised Recommendations
Not an endless list, but recommendations sorted by urgency and effort. You see what makes sense next — and what can wait.
Structured Final Report
All findings in one document that is understandable for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Serves as a basis for decisions and roadmap input.
Implementation Support optional
If needed, I work with your team on implementing the recommendations — not just as an advisor, but hands-on in day-to-day operations.
220 Million
Users using my software
10 Industries
served in recent years
15 Years
of professional experience
My teams and I had the special challenge of renewing our aging B2B platform technology. [...] His consultation took the form of a three-day workshop with our entire development team and led to extremely successful results.
Marcus proved to be extremely competent and professional. His solid knowledge and extensive experience contributed significantly to our ability to develop new concepts and refine existing ones, which have substantially improved our working methods and efficiency. [...]
In conclusion, I want to emphasize that working with Marcus was an extremely positive experience. His ability to understand complex technical challenges and find pragmatic solutions has impressed us sustainably. [...]
Andreas Rasic
CTO / CIO @ S&S Internet Systeme GmbHIn the course of [a] one-day [Discovery] workshop, the goal was to analyze the current situation in order to make decisions based on this foundation about which direction we should develop our tech stack and development team. My biggest concern before the workshop was that we wouldn't be able to achieve valid results within just one day and would then be left without a roadmap afterward. But that was by no means the case. Instead, we had a very effective workshop that was also a lot of fun and exactly met our expectations.[...]
I am very satisfied with the result and would recommend Marcus to anyone who needs conceptual support in structuring their tech stack and/or technology team.
Arne Paul Oltmann
Co-Founder & CEO @ limbiq system GmbH"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
Albert Einstein
Why mid-market software is often too complex
Microservices for 10 developers. Kubernetes where 95% uptime would be fine. Serverless for a simple CRUD application. Large enterprises share their architecture decisions at conferences — and mid-market companies get the impression they need to apply the same principles.
The consequences: missed opportunities, unprofitable businesses, and growth barriers due to long development times.
Finding the right balance between over- and under-engineering requires years of experience — and personally lived responsibility across a variety of projects. You need someone who knows, understands, and has successfully solved the special challenges of mid-market companies.
More on this topic: Overengineering in mid-market companies
7 Building Blocks, One Clear Picture
Each building block provides a distinct perspective on your software — together, they form a well-founded overall assessment.
Business Context
The foundation: Analyze and prioritize business requirements.
The business context significantly shapes the architecture and technology decisions of your software. Together with your relevant stakeholders (CEO, Sales Manager, Product Owner), we analyze this framework to create optimal decision-making foundations. Using ISO 25010 , the most important quality requirements for your software are determined, and based on this, priorities for all further analyses are established.
Technology Overview
Create transparency: Systematically capture technologies and their areas of application.
Using the Tech Stack Canvas , your entire technology stack is systematically documented. This transparency enables you to specifically identify strengths and detect potential weaknesses in performance, security, or scalability early on. You get a complete picture of your technological landscape.
Architecture Workshop
Make architecture visible: Model structure, modules, and interactions together.
Comprehensive understanding of your software architecture requires examining all module boundaries, interactions, and integrations from various perspectives. With the development team, these elements are systematically modeled according to the established arc42 format . You receive a clear visualization of the static and dynamic components of your software, which also provides valuable benefit for future decisions.
Expert Interviews
Gather perspectives: Understand the knowledge, goals, and challenges of key people.
Through targeted interviews with key people from management, development, and support, the organizational maturity level is determined. This gives you valuable perspectives that purely technical analyses cannot provide. And you recognize where organizational improvements will have the greatest impact.
Code Review
Examine details: Analyze quality and implementation of core concepts in the code.
After gaining a complete understanding of the concepts, the software is examined in detail. Special attention is paid to the implementation of core quality characteristics. Aspects such as module distribution, build tools, CI/CD pipeline, database schema, dependencies, code quality, documentation, and API maturity are analyzed. You receive clear identification of strengths and improvement potential in your code.
Final Report
Everything documented: A clear summary with risk analysis and action recommendations.
All findings are summarized in a clearly structured report. Each identified deficiency receives a concrete risk assessment and practical action recommendations. The report is systematically divided into organizational, personnel, infrastructural, architectural, and implementation-related aspects. You get a structured document that makes complex relationships understandable and serves as a solid roadmap for improvements.
Implementation
From analysis to practice: Support in implementing the improvements.
The final report is just the beginning. Upon request, you receive support in the practical implementation of the recommended measures. From versioning strategies to deployment automation to test coverage. You benefit from a flexible architecture adapted to your business needs that not only works today but is also equipped for future growth.
Handout: Architecture Review
All building blocks, methodology, and result structure of the review at a glance — as a compact PDF to take with you and share.
Download handoutThe Right Offer
Choose the review that fits your needs
Discovery
Give your team a boost. Ideal for small projects.
- Duration: 1 Day
- Business Context:
- Technology Overview:
- Architecture Workshop:
- Final Report:
- Code Review:
- Expert Interviews:
- Implementation:
Basic
Build the foundation for your roadmap in the coming year.
- Duration: 3 Days
- Business Context:
- Technology Overview:
- Architecture Workshop:
- Final Report:
- Code Review:
- Expert Interviews:
- Implementation:
Audit / Technical Due Diligence
Learn every detail of your software.
- Duration: Individual
- Business Context:
- Technology Overview:
- Architecture Workshop:
- Final Report:
- Code Review:
- Expert Interviews:
- Implementation:
Frequently Asked Questions
Request an Architecture Review
Start with a Discovery day — and know afterwards where your software stands and what makes sense next.
After the review: many clients implement the recommendations together with me — as part of an ongoing engagement.