What makes fractional teams so effective? More and more companies are turning to fractional teams to solve critical product, technical, and organizational challenges. Instead of committing to full-time hires too early, fractional support offers a flexible way to get expert-level help across leadership, design, and development that is scaled to match your needs. Fractional Support at thoughtbot means fully integrated, part-time contributors who flex across roles, offering technical leadership, hands-on development, and strategic guidance. Our teams include senior developers, experienced tech leads, and development coordinators, all working together to meet the specific needs of your product. Some clients engage us for long-term support and maintenance, while others bring us in for feature delivery or infrastructure improvements. The beauty of the model is that it adapts.
And while “fractional” might suggest less involvement or less quality, the reality is the opposite. Our clients benefit not only from the deep experience of individual team members but also from thoughtbot’s collective clout, shared tools, peer support, and a high standard of quality that comes from a team that’s built and scaled dozens of products before. You will not be getting a solo freelancer; you’re getting a flexible extension of your team with built-in expertise and process.
Real impact, real flexibility
The strength in our fractional team lies in how it seamlessly adapts to your context, whether you’re scaling, firefighting, or just trying to ship faster without dropping quality. Here’s how we stepped in to help clients overcome roadblocks and move forward with confidence:
- Navigating breaking API changes When a third-party API introduced major changes, a client faced the risk of customer disruption during a critical migration. Our developers jumped in, stabilized the integration, and helped ship the update.
- Scaling without burning out One client’s app was gaining traction, but fast growth exposed an outdated, untested codebase. We instructed their team on the importance of TDD and implemented a robust test suite, ensuring future development could move faster and more safely.
- Demystifying AWS A development team was struggling with an AWS infrastructure they didn’t fully understand. Our tech leads not only helped configure and optimize their setup but also provided hands-on guidance and knowledge sharing, leaving the client team more confident, self-sufficient, and with significantly reduced AWS usage costs due to smarter provisioning and resource management.
Flexible, and built to last
It is easy to assume that fractional means temporary, surface-level, or second-best, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Fractional support is often misunderstood as short-term or second-tier, but in reality, it’s one of the most strategic investments a growing team can make. Our fractional team members integrate fully, contribute meaningfully, and bring the same level of care and expertise as any full-time hire, without the long-term overhead.
Whether you’re scaling, stabilizing, or simply trying to move faster with fewer obstacles, fractional support offers a flexible, high-impact path forward. Want to see how fractional support could help your team grow and deliver faster? Let’s talk.