Your business is growing. Your technology shouldn't be the thing that stops it.
When progress slows, releases break things, and your developers are losing momentum — it's time to steer the ship, not abandon it.
We've spent over a decade building and maintaining software for our clients. Some have been with us for ten years or more. We don't take on new builds lightly — and we won't dilute what we give existing clients to chase new work.
But we kept meeting businesses that didn't need a full build team. They had developers. They had a product. Revenue was growing. The problem wasn't the business — it was the technology underneath it.
They needed what we give our own clients every day: senior engineering direction, clear priorities, and the discipline to fix things properly.
That's why we created Steer.
What you might be experiencing
- Progress has slowed down or ground to a halt
- Every release seems to break something else
- Developers are demotivated or leaving
- Outages take too long to resolve
- Nobody fully understands how the system works anymore
- Technical debt has become a drag on the business
If any of this sounds familiar, we should talk.
You've built something that works. Customers are paying, revenue is growing, the business model is proven. But somewhere along the way, the technology started fighting back.
New features take longer than they should. Releases break things that used to work. Outages drag on because nobody fully understands the system anymore. Your developers are frustrated — not because they're not good, but because the codebase won't let them be.
None of this means you built it wrong. It means the system has outgrown the practices around it. That's normal. What matters is what you do next.
What Steer is
Steer is technical oversight for software that matters commercially but has accumulated problems technically.
We don't take over your project. We don't replace your team. We work alongside you to identify what's gone wrong, build a plan to fix it, and check in regularly to make sure you're making progress.
The guiding principles are the same for every project:
- Code should be tested
- Releases should be safe
- Architecture should be understood
- Developers should be able to move with confidence
How we apply them is bespoke. Every codebase is different. Every team has different strengths. Every business has different constraints. We review where you are and work out the steps required to get you where you should be.
These aren't principles we read about. They're what we apply to systems we've built and maintained for over ten years. Steer gives your team access to the same discipline — without needing us full-time.
How it works
1. Initial review
We spend time understanding your system, your team, and your challenges. We look at the code, the infrastructure, the processes, and the people. We identify what's causing the problems and what's working well.
This typically takes two to four weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the system.
2. Action plan
Based on the review, we create a prioritised plan. Not a wish list — a realistic sequence of improvements that will have the biggest impact on your ability to deliver. We'll be honest about what's achievable and what trade-offs you'll face.
3. Regular check-ins
We don't hand you a report and disappear. We check in at regular intervals to review progress, adjust the plan, and set goals for the next phase. This isn't a one-off engagement — it's ongoing steering until you're where you need to be.
Most clients start seeing measurable improvements within the first quarter.
Why we can do this
Every member of our team has over 20 years' experience — across industries, technologies, and team structures. We've seen what works and what doesn't.
But more importantly, we live with the consequences of our own advice. The practices we bring to Steer are the same ones we apply daily to systems we've built and maintained for over a decade. When we tell you something will work long-term, it's because we've already proven it on our own projects.
We stay small deliberately, so context is never lost and you always work with senior engineers.
What we expect from you
Good fit
- Your business is commercially successful
- You understand that technology is a strategic asset
- You're willing to invest time and resource to improve
- You want a long-term solution, not a quick fix
Not for you
- You want ongoing BAU support
- You're looking for the cheapest option
- You need someone to take over entirely
- You're not prepared to make changes
Start a conversation
The first conversation is exploratory. We'll talk through where you are, what the symptoms are, and whether we can help. No obligation, no hard sell.