The Shy Kid Who Did Not Speak
Most people may not know that I could not speak until I was almost 3 years old.
Fractional Architect · Strategic Advisor · Expert Witness
Designing solutions that workeffortlessly.
I help teams untangle complexity in software systems: modernizing aging platforms, scaling cloud-native solutions, making a platform work for AI coding agents, and explaining technical decisions in high-stakes legal cases.
The problem
Your system has outgrown the people who can hold it in their heads.
Architecture decisions get deferred or re-litigated every sprint. A migration, a rewrite, or a lawsuit is on the horizon. A full-time principal architect is the right role, but not the right spend yet.
The solution
Senior technical judgment, on the schedule the decision actually needs.
Fractional architecture, a 90-minute decision brief, a fixed-fee assessment, expert testimony, or a seat at the board table. Every engagement ends with written decisions your team can point to and push back on.
Hi there
I'm Woody. Allow me to introduce myself.
After two decades building distributed systems with .NET, C#, and Azure, I've shifted from full-time execution to strategic impact. Today I work as a fractional architect, technology advisor, and software expert witness, offering focused expertise exactly when and where it's needed.
I'm a Microsoft MVP (first awarded in 2008), co-host of The Breakpoint Show, author ofASP.NET Core Reimagined with htmx and Beyond Boundaries, and the person who coined the term Agentic Developer Relations. As AI writes more of the world's software, the scarce skill is knowing what not to build.
About meThe numbers don't lie
Notable milestones from a career that started before the first .COM boom
- 25+Years building software
- 50+Conference talks, North America and Europe
- 200+Articles on this blog
- 3Books written or in print
What I do
I focus on the architecture so you can focus on the business.
Embedded architecture leadership, forensic code analysis for litigation, agentic developer relations, scoped modernization projects, and an independent technical voice for boards and founders.
See the six servicesHow I do it
Discovery, engagement, execution, iteration.
- Discovery. We define your goals, pain points, and existing tech landscape in a focused kickoff.
- Engagement. I embed with your team on a fractional basis: guidance, architecture reviews, decision support.
- Execution. Clear deliverables and actionable recommendations, backed by experience and empathy.
- Iteration. As your needs evolve, so does my involvement: deeper during transitions, lighter when stable.
Services
Six ways to work together
01
Fractional Architect
Senior architecture leadership, embedded in your team 4 to 16 hours per week. Decisions with receipts, engineers who grow, and a 90-day technical roadmap you can share with the board.
Learn more 02Expert Witness
Defensible technical analysis for litigation: contract, IP, negligence, and M&A disputes. Reports built for Daubert, testimony that holds up under cross-examination.
Learn more 03Micro-Consulting
A 90-minute deep-dive plus a written decision brief, for the single sharp question your team needs answered this week, not next quarter.
Learn more 04Project-Based Contracts
Scoped, fixed-fee engagements for architecture assessments, modernization plans, cloud migrations, and technical due diligence. Owned end-to-end, with a clean handoff.
Learn more 05Agentic Developer Relations
Make your platform work for AI coding agents as well as it works for people: FAISR baselines, agent-ready docs and SDKs, recipe libraries, and the human-facing DevRel programs that still matter.
Learn more 06Advisory & Board Roles
An independent technical voice for boards, founders, and PE operators: pressure-testing roadmaps, surfacing risk, and making trade-offs visible before the vote.
Learn morePortfolio
A curated selection of recent work
Testimonials
Some love from clients
I had the pleasure of working with Chris on several projects for one of our key clients. Chris is a true professional. His technical skills are expert level. Chris is a strong team lead who goes above and beyond to ensure his team’s success. If you have an opportunity to leverage Chris in your organization, I would highly recommend him.
Chris brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise and clear communication. His ability to translate complex architectural concepts into actionable guidance makes him an invaluable resource for any team.
Blog & Insights
Useful articles from the blog
Beyond Boundaries Is Getting a Major Update for .NET 11 and C# 15
When I first published Beyond Boundaries: Networking Programming with C# and .NET, I knew it would need to evolve. Networking doesn’t stand still, and neither does the .NET platform. What I didn’t…
The N+1 Query Problem in EF Core: Detection, Diagnosis, and Permanent Fixes
An order summary page renders in 40 milliseconds against your development database. The same page takes eleven seconds in production. You open the profiler, and the controller method looks clean. You…
Network
Two companion sites, one philosophy
The thinking behind the architecture, and the discipline for a developer community whose newest members are AI agents.
Simplicity-First ↗
Essays, patterns, and case studies on choosing boring technology, resisting complexity, and designing systems that stay readable at year five.
Visit simplicity-first.devAgentic Developer Relations ↗
The discipline that makes sure AI coding agents can integrate with, consume, and represent your platform accurately. Frameworks, patterns, roles, and measurement.
Visit agenticairelations.comLet's connect
Ready to untangle your system?
Whether in the boardroom or the courtroom, I bring clarity to complex software challenges and help people make better decisions through better understanding.
Hire me