Systems engineering for startups & B2B SaaS
Ship complex products without the integration surprises.
Fractional systems engineering for teams that have outgrown "we'll figure it out." I help you define the architecture, requirements and interfaces that hold up as your product and team scale.
Sound familiar?
Growth exposes the gaps between teams, not inside them.
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01
Requirements live in Slack threads
Nobody can say what "done" means, so features ship, get re-scoped and ship again.
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02
Integration breaks show up late
Teams build to different assumptions and find out the week before launch.
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03
Architecture lives in one person's head
Decisions aren't written down, so every new hire re-litigates them and onboarding drags.
Services
Engineering discipline, sized for a startup.
No heavyweight process. Just the artifacts and decisions your team will actually use.
Architecture review & definition
An outside look at how your system is put together, where it will strain under growth, and what to change first.
→ architecture views · decision records · ranked risk list
Requirements & traceability
Turn customer needs and enterprise commitments into clear, testable requirements, linked to the work that satisfies them.
→ requirements baseline · verification plan · traceability in your existing tools
Interfaces & integration planning
Define the contracts between services, teams and partners before they're built, so integration is a non-event.
→ interface control docs · integration sequence · test strategy
Fractional systems engineering lead
Ongoing, part-time SE leadership for a product or program, without a full-time hire.
→ design reviews · technical risk tracking · one owner for the whole system
How it works
Start small. Keep going only if it's working.
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Step 1 · Free
Intro call
30 minutes on what you're building and where it hurts. You'll leave with at least one useful idea either way.
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Step 2 · Fixed fee · Pricing on request
Systems assessment
A 2–3 week, fixed-scope review of your architecture, requirements and interfaces, ending in a prioritized action plan.
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Step 3 · Monthly · Pricing on request
Ongoing support
A set number of hours each month to carry out the plan with your team. Cancel with 15 days’ notice.
About
Hi, I'm Miguel Payns.
I'm a systems engineer with a software engineer's background. I spent nearly a decade building software and complex engineered products, then trained formally in systems engineering, where the hard problems are rarely inside one component and almost always between them.
I bring that rigor to startups in a form that fits how you work: lightweight, practical, and focused on the decisions that will matter a year from now. When you work with me, you work with me directly.
- Master's in Systems Engineering
- Cornell University
- INCOSE ASEP
- Associate Systems Engineering Professional
- Systems Engineering Certificate
- University of Detroit Mercy
- B.S. Computer Engineering
- University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
- Industry experience
- 9+ years in software & complex products
Contact
Tell me what you're building.
A few lines is plenty. I'll reply within two business days to set up a 30-minute call.
Or email . Prefer LinkedIn? Message me there.