Lacey Kesler

Solutions Engineering Architect · Creator of the DOC Model

Build systems that don't break when you grow.

I help founders, agencies, and teams turn a tangle of tools into clean, durable architecture — using the DOC Model (Data · Operations · Components) and the right amount of AI. So your stack scales instead of snapping.

Experience & trusted by

The Tool Trap

Most teams learn tools before architecture. Six months later they're holding five of them together with digital duct tape.

You picked a tool because it demoed well. It worked — then the project grew, so you bolted on another, then a third to connect the first two. Now one stores data another can't read, and changing one thing breaks three others. That's not a failure of effort. It's a failure of architecture.

  • Data — where information lives
  • Operations — the logic that moves it
  • Components — what users see

The DOC Model is the fix: give every tool one job and one clear edge. Swap tools without rebuilding, debug in minutes, and grow without collapsing.

Why it pays off

Bad architecture isn't a nuisance. It's a line item.

The tangle has a price — in wasted spend, lost revenue, and expensive rework. Getting the layers right is the cheapest insurance you'll buy.

$12.9M
average yearly cost of poor data quality to an organization.
Gartner
up to 100×
more it costs to fix a flaw in production than at the design stage.
IBM Systems Sciences Institute
15–25%
of revenue lost to bad data at a typical company.
MIT Sloan Management Review

An architecture audit finds these leaks before they compound — which is why it's the cheapest engagement I offer and the one that pays for itself first.

How I help

Four ways to work together

From a one-time teardown to a full build to ongoing guidance — pick the altitude that fits where you are.

Start here

Architecture Audit + Roadmap

A fixed-scope teardown of your current stack, mapped to the DOC Model — plus a prioritized blueprint for fixing what's fragile. You keep the roadmap whether or not we build together.

Most popular

Done for you

Systems Build

I architect and build the system end-to-end — data model, operations, the interfaces your team uses, and AI where it earns its place. You get something that scales, not another thing to hold together.

Ongoing

Fractional Architect

Retained advisory so your team makes the right architecture calls as you scale — reviews, decisions, and a steady hand on the wheel without a full-time hire.

Team enablement

DOC Model Workshops

I teach your team to think in layers and build durable systems themselves — a hands-on workshop grounded in the framework from my book and the Strata School.

What I build

Solutions across every layer

Whatever's fragile — data, logic, interface, or the AI on top — I build the durable version.

AI agents & MCP servers

Custom AI + MCP integrations that let AI operate your systems — like the DOC Model MCP.

Data systems & automations

A source-of-truth data layer wired to automations that don't break — Supabase, Airtable, n8n, whatever the job needs.

Web, CMS & AI layers

Front-ends with AI layers that enrich and audit before you ship — a CMS like Webflow, or a custom React build.

Payments & fulfillment

Stripe or Lemon Squeezy → database → gated delivery. Secure, idempotent, verified — revenue that just works.

How it works

Three steps to a system that lasts

  1. Book a discovery call

    We map where your stack is fragile and whether we're a fit. Free, 30 minutes, no pitch.

  2. Get your blueprint

    I turn your tangle into a clear DOC-Model plan — what to build, what to fix, and in what order.

  3. We build it — or you do

    I architect and build it end-to-end, or hand your team the plan and the skills to run it themselves.

Packages

Simple, scoped engagements

Every engagement starts with a call so we scope the right fit.

Audit + Roadmap

Know what's fragile and what to fix first.

$2,500 flat

You walk away with

  • A full DOC-Model map of your stack
  • A prioritized fix-it roadmap
  • A recorded 90-min walkthrough
  • Full credit toward a Build
Book a call

Most popular

Systems Build

A system that scales — not another thing to hold together.

from $15k

You walk away with

  • A fully architected + built system
  • Data, Operations, Components + AI
  • Handover docs your team can run
  • 30 days post-launch support
Book a call

Fractional Architect

A senior architect on call, without the hire.

$4,500 / mo

You walk away with

  • Ongoing architecture reviews
  • Async access for the tough calls
  • Monthly working sessions
  • Cancel anytime
Book a call

Also available: team workshopsask about a session for your team.

Use cases

Systems I've architected

Problem → what I built → what it changed.

Flagship · AI agents & MCP

The DOC Model MCP

An AI that applies my framework — on any platform

The problem
Ask any AI "what tool should I use?" and you get generic answers — tool names, no architecture, no judgment about what belongs where.
What I built
An MCP server, fed by my framework, that gives any AI the DOC Model's reasoning: classify a tool to its layer, choose architecture by requirement (not brand), find layer violations, and map a whole project.
The result
AI that recommends durable architecture and catches mistakes — the same judgment I bring, available wherever your team already works.

Web, CMS & AI

AI-Native CMS Engine

A safety gate for Webflow

The problem
Content errors — broken links, wrong metadata, off-brand copy — kept shipping straight to production, and manual enrichment was slow.
What I built
An AI layer in front of the Webflow CMS: bulk content enrichment, automated auditing, and guardrails that catch mistakes before they publish.
The result
Fewer errors reaching production, faster content ops, and a team that trusts what ships. ‹ add a metric ›

About

I wrote the framework I'll use on your systems.

I'm Lacey Kesler — Solutions Engineering Architect, creator of the DOC Model, and founder of the Strata School. I've built systems and products across Bloomberg BETA, Techstars, Stanford, and Girls Who Code, and I now help teams design architecture that survives every tool they'll ever switch to. Not more tools — better thinking about the ones you have.

72%
profit growth as Head of Product
100+
products shipped
700+
user interviews

New book

The DOC Model

Data · Operations · Components

New to the framework? Start with the book — a developer's framework for building anything.

Read the book →

Let's architect something that lasts.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. We'll map where your stack is fragile and whether we're a fit to fix it.

Book a discovery call

or email me