QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The things people ask on a first call.
Including the ones whose answers are inconvenient. If yours is not here, ask it directly.
General questions
What does Clear Pathways actually do?
Technology consulting across four areas: cloud and infrastructure, data and AI, custom software, and security and compliance. In practice most engagements start with working out what is really causing the problem, because that is frequently not what it was assumed to be.
How does an engagement usually start?
With a short, paid assessment — typically two to four weeks — ending in a written document covering what we found and what we would do about it. You own that document whether or not you hire us for the work it recommends.
Do you work with small companies or only large ones?
Both. The work differs more than the size suggests: smaller teams usually need judgement and capacity, larger ones usually need someone without a stake in the existing internal argument.
Will you tell us not to do something?
Regularly. A good share of assessments conclude that the proposed project is not the right one, or that the problem is a configuration change rather than a quarter of engineering. That is a more useful outcome than a confirmed scope.
Who owns the code and the documents?
You do, from the first commit, in your repository and your accounts. Nothing we build lives somewhere you cannot reach, and nothing requires us to keep it running.
What happens when the engagement ends?
Handover is part of the scope rather than a courtesy at the end: documentation, a walkthrough, and your team making changes unaided before we leave. We would rather be re-hired for the next thing than depended on for this one.
Can you give a fixed price?
For a well-scoped phase, usually. For a project defined as a long feature list, a fixed price would be a guess with a confident number attached, which helps nobody. We prefer to scope and price a first phase properly.
Do you guarantee outcomes?
No. We can tell you what we found, what we would do and what it is likely to be worth, and those estimates improve considerably after the assessment. Anyone quoting a percentage improvement before looking at your systems is guessing.
How do we get started?
Describe the problem through the scoping questions or the contact form. If it is something we can help with, the next step is a conversation; if it is not, we will say so and point you somewhere more useful where we can.
Cloud and infrastructure
Which cloud do you recommend?
Usually the one you are already on. Multi-cloud and migration-between-clouds are expensive answers that most organisations do not need, and the switching cost rarely gets recovered.
Can you guarantee a cost reduction?
No. We can tell you what is driving the bill and what each fix is likely to be worth, and that estimate improves a lot after the measurement phase. Anyone promising a percentage before looking is guessing.
Do we have to stop feature work?
Usually not entirely. Sequencing the work so delivery continues is part of the planning, and it is a constraint we would rather hear in week one than week six.
Data and AI
Should we be doing something with AI?
Sometimes. The question worth answering first is which specific task would change if it worked, and how you would know. If that cannot be answered concretely, more platform work usually returns more than a model would.
Do you build custom models?
Rarely, and usually it is the wrong call. Most useful work is retrieval, evaluation, prompt and data engineering around existing models. Training from scratch is a large bet that needs a specific reason.
Which warehouse should we use?
It depends far more on your data volume, your team and your existing cloud than on the vendors involved. For most mid-sized organisations several options would work and the choice is not the risky part.
Custom software
Should we rewrite or refactor?
Refactor far more often than instinct suggests. Rewrites throw away years of accumulated edge-case handling that nobody documented, and they tend to take two to three times the original estimate. Incremental replacement is slower in theory and faster in practice.
Can you give a fixed price?
For a well-scoped phase, usually yes. For a project defined as a long feature list, a fixed price would be a guess with a confident number on it, which helps nobody. We would rather scope a first phase properly and price that.
Who owns the code?
You do, from the first commit, in your repository. There is no arrangement here where the code lives somewhere you cannot reach it.
Security and compliance
Can you certify us?
No. Certification comes from an accredited auditor, and the same firm cannot both prepare you and issue the opinion. We do the readiness work and support you through the audit; the opinion is theirs.
How long does SOC 2 take?
It depends on your starting point and the type. A Type II needs an observation window of several months on top of remediation, which is why the deal timeline usually needs discussing honestly and early.
Is a compliance platform enough on its own?
The tooling helps with evidence and is genuinely useful. It does not do the remediation, and it will happily automate the collection of evidence for a control that nobody follows.
You do not have to figure it all out today.
Start with where you are. Explore what is possible. Choose one step you can take next.