Fractional COO
Operations leadership, sized to your business.
A fractional COO is a part-time operations leader who stays with your business month to month, instead of a full-time hire. We own how the work gets done with you: processes and playbooks, team structure and handoffs, customer onboarding and support, and the vendors and day-to-day execution your operations depend on, and we stay involved while the changes take hold.
Is this for you?
A good fit if…
- You do not have a full-time COO, and operational decisions keep landing on the owner
- Work depends on a few people remembering how things are done
- Customer onboarding or support feels inconsistent as you grow
- You need someone to own execution, vendors and follow-through on an ongoing basis
What’s included
What’s included in Fractional COO
Operations plan & priorities
An operations plan tied to your business goals, owned with you and updated as priorities change.
Processes & playbooks
Mapping how work actually happens, then clear SOPs and playbooks your team can follow and keep updated.
Team structure & accountability
Who owns what, how handoffs work, and a regular rhythm of check-ins so work gets assigned and finished.
Onboarding & support
Consistent steps for bringing on new customers and handling their requests, with a few metrics to watch.
Vendor & operations execution
Choosing and coordinating vendors and service providers, and keeping operational projects moving to done.
Hiring & leadership support
Help defining operational roles and interviewing candidates, and an operations voice with your leadership team.
Process
How it works
Assess
Review how the work flows today: processes, team, vendors, tools and where things get stuck.
Agree the role
Set priorities, a first operations plan and what the role covers each month.
Lead
Regular working time with your team: running the operating rhythm and making decisions as they come up.
Review & adjust
Regular check-ins on progress, with the plan updated as the business changes.
Who you’d be working with
Michael White, founder
You work directly with Michael. Michael White, founder of IGNESCO, has built and led Engineering, Product, and Operations teams across software and manufacturing, overseeing more than 2,000 software implementations in markets including UCaaS, telecom, healthcare, and pharmacy.
FAQ
Fractional COO questions
What is a fractional COO?
An operations leader who works with your business part-time, on a set schedule or retainer, instead of as a full-time employee.
How is this different from Fractional CTO?
A fractional CTO leads the technology side: systems, software, developers and technology vendors. A fractional COO leads the operations side: processes, people, onboarding, support and day-to-day execution. Depending on your business, you may need one, the other, or both.
Can this be combined with automation work?
Yes. Fixing the process first usually makes automation simpler, and we can do both.
How is it priced?
Fractional COO work is priced by custom quote, based on how much time and what scope the role needs. You get the terms in writing before work starts.
Do you work on-site?
We do both. We work on-site as needed, and we can also work completely remote.
Ready to start your fire?
Tell us what you are working on. You will get an honest response from a real human.