Headcount
Slow to hire, hard to size
Months to fill, and you are committing to a shape before you know what the product needs.
A complete product team, sized to what you're building.
We provide a complete team tailored to your needs. You get Jonathan as product lead, plus the right specialists (whether that's engineering, design, QA, project management, or other expertise your product requires). We become an extension of your team, delivering end-to-end product development.
- Team
- Right-sized
- Model
- Monthly retainer
- Scope
- End to end
01 · Who it's for
You know what to build. You don't have the team to build it.
A pod fits an organization weighing headcount, staff augmentation, or an agency, and a founder or operator with a defined first version and no engineering team. In both cases the question is the same:
Who owns delivery, end to end, without you managing contractors?
Staff augmentation
Hands, not ownership
You still manage the work, the priorities, and the outcome.
An agency
Delivers a project, then leaves
The knowledge walks out the door with them.
A pod
Owns delivery, acts like your team
One product lead accountable for outcomes, senior specialists sized to the work, in your repository from day one.
This isn't staff augmentation. It's a dedicated product team that acts like part of your company, because for all practical purposes, it is. We don't just execute. We challenge ideas, improve them, and take ownership of outcomes.
Everyone you need to ship. Nothing you don't.
02 · Who you work with
One product lead. The specialists your product actually needs.
Each pod is carefully assembled based on your specific needs. Senior practitioners who have shipped real products, not junior developers learning on your dime. The team scales and adapts as your needs evolve.
Always · product lead
Jonathan Simmons
Your single point of accountability for outcomes.
As needed
Engineering
As needed
Design
As needed
QA
As needed
Project management
As needed
Other expertise your product requires
Tailored team composition
Jonathan leads every pod, bringing the right specialists for your specific needs: engineering, design, QA, project management, or other expertise. Everyone you need to ship, nothing you don't.
End-to-end delivery
From strategy to launch, we own the entire product development cycle. You get results, not excuses.
Seamless integration
We plug into your existing workflows, tools, and processes. Or we help you build better ones. Whatever works.
Ownership mindset
We don't just execute your ideas. We challenge them, improve them, and take responsibility for outcomes. We care because it matters.
03 · How we build
A person specifies, a model builds, a person verifies.
Everyone builds with AI now. What matters is how. This is the specific way a pod runs, and why estimates come back in months and dollars rather than hours.
- 01
Every feature is written down first, with the tests that prove it.
A person specifies, a model builds, a person verifies. Nothing is built from a vague ticket.
- 02
Agents work in parallel, each on its own isolated copy of the codebase.
Work moves side by side without colliding, so a pod ships more than its headcount suggests.
- 03
The workflow is tuned for token efficiency.
That keeps model cost low, and we pass the saving to you.
- 04
Machines check every change. A person reviews it.
Nothing reaches the live product without going through staging.
- 05
You own the repository and every account from day one.
There is no handover to negotiate at the end, because there was never anything to hand over.
04 · Engagement
You own the code and the accounts from day one.
So bringing the work in-house, pausing it, or growing it is a decision, not a project. There is no handover to negotiate at the end, because there was never anything to hand over.
How it starts
From a defined first version
Most pods begin after a discovery, with the first version, the build approach, and an investment range already agreed. We assemble the team around that scope and set up your repository and accounts before the first sprint.
How it runs
A monthly retainer, one team
The pod works inside your tools and cadence. Jonathan owns product outcomes and is your single point of accountability. Estimates and progress are reported in months and dollars, not hours.
How it ends or changes
Scale it, or take it in-house
The team grows or shrinks month to month as the product needs. Because you already own the code and the accounts, bringing the work in-house or pausing it is a decision, not a project.
05 · Where it sits
Most pods begin where a discovery ends.
If the first version is already defined, we scope the pod around it. If it isn't, a discovery comes first and becomes the first weeks of the engagement. If you have a team and need only the leadership, that's the Fractional CPO.
06 · Questions
Questions companies ask before choosing a product pod.
- What is a product pod?
- A product pod is a dedicated, right-sized delivery team led by one product lead. The pod adds engineering, design, QA, project management, and other specialists based on what the product needs.
- How is a product pod different from staff augmentation?
- Staff augmentation adds people for you to manage. A Product Matter pod owns delivery end to end, challenges the work, and gives you one product lead accountable for outcomes.
- Who owns the code and accounts?
- You do, from day one. The pod works in your repository and accounts, so pausing, growing, or bringing the work in-house does not require a separate handover project.
- How is the team composed?
- Jonathan leads every pod. Senior engineering, design, QA, project management, and other specialists are added only when the product requires them, and the team can change as the work changes.
- Do we need product discovery first?
- Most pods begin after Discovery & Strategy has defined the first version, build approach, timeline, and investment range. If that work already exists, we can scope the pod around it.
- What if we already have a delivery team?
- If your team can build and needs product direction rather than more delivery capacity, Fractional CPO is the better fit.
Next step
Bring us the thing you need built.
If the first version is already defined, we'll scope the pod around it. If it isn't, a discovery comes first and becomes the first weeks of the engagement.