Engagement Models
PAA engagement tiers and what's included at each level of investment.
PAA engagements scale with your needs. We offer three standard tiers, with custom arrangements available for larger organizations.
Advisory
Best for: Teams wanting architectural validation without heavy involvement
The Advisory tier provides access to senior architectural expertise on-demand:
- Weekly 1-hour architecture office hours
- Asynchronous design review (up to 4 per month)
- Access to private Slack/Teams channel for questions
- Monthly architecture health check
This tier works well for teams that have capable engineers but want external validation of key decisions.
Embedded
Best for: Teams building significant new capabilities or undergoing transformation
The Embedded tier integrates PAA deeply into your development process:
- Everything in Advisory, plus:
- Participation in sprint planning and technical discussions
- Detailed design review for all major features
- Architecture decision records (ADRs) drafted and maintained
- Bi-weekly stakeholder updates
- Quarterly architecture roadmap review
This is our most popular tier. It provides comprehensive oversight while respecting your team’s autonomy.
Strategic
Best for: Organizations requiring board-level technical governance
The Strategic tier adds executive-level engagement:
- Everything in Embedded, plus:
- Monthly executive briefings
- Technology due diligence support (M&A, partnerships)
- Vendor evaluation and selection guidance
- Compliance and audit preparation
- Direct access to principal architects
Strategic engagements typically involve multiple workstreams or business units.
Comparing tiers
| Capability | Advisory | Embedded | Strategic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office hours | Weekly | Weekly | On-demand |
| Design reviews | 4/month | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| ADR management | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sprint participation | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Executive briefings | — | — | Monthly |
| Due diligence support | — | — | ✓ |
Custom arrangements
For organizations with specific needs—multiple platforms, distributed teams, or unique compliance requirements—we design custom engagement structures.
Contact us to discuss your situation.