Most technology failures
aren't technical.
They're structural.
I help COOs, operators, and CEOs get control of their technology decisions — before a failed implementation, delayed go-live, or costly rebuild forces the issue.
You've seen this pattern before.
These failures aren't random. They repeat because the underlying structure — how decisions get made, owned, and escalated — hasn't changed.
Your implementation is off the rails
The ERP or WMS go-live is behind schedule, over budget, or quietly failing. Vendors are pointing at scope. Your team is pointing at vendors. No one has clear ownership of the decisions that would actually fix it.
Your roadmap and your operations aren't aligned
The technology plan looks coherent on paper, but every initiative collides with reality when it hits operations. Priorities shift, timelines slip, and the root cause never gets named.
You're spending more on technology with less clarity on why
The budget grows. The architecture gets more complex. ROI gets harder to explain. There's no fragility on paper — but everyone in the room knows the system is more brittle than it looks.
The Core Thesis
"Most companies don't have a technology problem. They have a technology decision problem."
The failures aren't in the code. They're in how decisions about the code get made — who owns them, how they get escalated, whether operations, IT, and leadership are working from the same picture. That's the layer I exist to fix.
What changes when this gets fixed
The shift leadership experiences once the structural issues are exposed and addressed.
Leadership Alignment
Leadership aligns on what actually matters — not competing assumptions about what's wrong.
Decision Ownership
Clear ownership of decisions, risks, and escalation paths — no ambiguity about who owns what.
Execution Clarity
A realistic, executable path forward grounded in operational reality — not a theoretical roadmap.
Risk Visibility
Structural risks are visible, understood, and actively managed — not hidden across teams.
How I Engage
Two ways to work together
CTO Sprint
A structured 4–6 week executive engagement to assess, de-risk, and bring clarity to your technology strategy and execution.
- Current-state architecture & system reality mapping
- Decision-making and governance breakdown analysis
- Hidden risk and execution gap identification
- Roadmap viability and sequencing validation
- Executive decision framework and 90-day execution plan
Strategic CTO Advisory
Ongoing executive technology leadership to maintain alignment, guide decisions, and ensure disciplined execution after the Sprint.
- Governance continuity and decision discipline
- Modernization prioritization and sequencing
- Vendor, partner, and build-vs-buy decision support
- Executive and cross-functional alignment
- High-stakes technology decision support
About Howard
30+ years at the intersection of software and supply chain operations.
Howard Mintz co-founded and sold a SaaS company, directed global R&D teams of 200+ developers, and delivered enterprise software to companies including Coors, Grocery Outlet, and Manischewitz. He built systems that processed 2.4 million orders per month and led cloud migrations that cut costs by 60%.
Now working exclusively in an advisory capacity — helping operators get control of the technology decisions that determine whether their companies scale or stall.
Full background →Decision Systems Over Systems
The goal isn't to improve a system. It's to improve how decisions about systems get made.
Governance as a Continuous Function
Governance isn't a project phase. It's an ongoing capability that has to scale with the organization.
Operator-First Thinking
Every recommendation is grounded in how work actually gets done — not in theoretical architecture.
Complement, Not Replace
This engagement makes your existing teams and partners more effective — it doesn't compete with them.
Insights
Operator Insights
Why ERP Implementations Fail (And It's Not the Software)
The most common explanation for ERP failure is the wrong one. The software is rarely the problem. Here's what actually is — and what to do about it before your go-live.
Read moreWhat a Technology Governance Review Actually Looks Like
Most executives have heard 'governance' used as a buzzword. Few have seen it done concretely. Here's what a real technology governance review covers, and what you're left with when it's done.
Read moreThe Difference Between a Technology Problem and a Technology Decision Problem
When a system fails, the instinct is to fix the system. But most technology failures are decision failures in disguise. Here's how to tell the difference — and why it matters.
Read moreReady to get control of your technology decisions?
A single conversation is usually enough to identify whether there's a structural issue worth addressing. No pitch — a direct diagnostic exchange about what's happening and what it would take to fix it.
Book a Conversation