# RootCause Consulting

> Fractional Chief Product Officer (CPO) for SaaS scale-ups (€1M–€10M ARR). Catalin Adam embeds as acting CPO to install the operating systems a product org needs to ship predictably — then hands them back. Operating from the EU since 2021.

Catalin Adam is a fractional Chief Product Officer with 13+ years of senior product leadership across five SaaS companies and five verticals: fintech, payments, productivity, ad-supported, and hospitality SaaS. Named clients include 2Checkout, Verifone, Wrike, Ready2Order, and Omni Calculator.

The core thesis: most product orgs are bottlenecked not by strategy or talent, but by the absence of an operating layer that lets the team make good decisions without the founder in the room. The work is to install that layer, then leave.

Engagements follow a three-step ladder:
- **Diagnose** — a fixed-scope Product Org Audit (€1,500, 1–2 weeks) scoring the 8 decision systems, sizing each gap, and sequencing a 90-day fix list.
- **Build** — fix one decision system (€4–7k fixed), e.g. pricing, prioritization, discovery, or testing. The audit fee is credited in full against any Build.
- **Run** — embedded CPO, ~2 days/week over 4–9 months, until the company can run without him.

## Services
- [Services: Diagnose, Build, Run](https://www.rootcause.ro/work): The three engagement formats, scope, fit, and outcomes.
- [Pricing](https://www.rootcause.ro/pricing): Transparent fixed pricing for the three formats and eight solutions.
- [Solutions catalog](https://www.rootcause.ro/catalog): The eight product decision systems — metrics tree, tracking plan, pricing architecture, discovery framework, PRD template, A/B framework, ICE scoring, product roles.
- [For investment funds](https://www.rootcause.ro/funds): Portfolio product diagnostics, pre-investment due diligence, and embedded operating for portfolio companies.
- [The AI operating stack](https://www.rootcause.ro/ai): How the practice runs on a custom AI operating system (second brain, custom agent skills, automation pipelines).

## Tools and resources
- [Free 8-decision diagnostic](https://www.rootcause.ro/diagnostic): Eight yes/no questions, 60 seconds, no email required.
- [Sample audit report](https://www.rootcause.ro/sample-audit): A sanitized example of the Product Org Audit deliverable.
- [Pricing impact modeler](https://www.rootcause.ro/tools/pricing-impact): Model the 12-month value of a SaaS pricing redesign.

## Case studies
- [B2B payments platform](https://www.rootcause.ro/case-studies/b2b-payments-platform): Billing systems, B2B ecommerce, and CPQ.
- [Calculator network](https://www.rootcause.ro/case-studies/calculator-network): ~14M MAU ad-supported SaaS — metrics tree, tracking plan, and A/B testing framework.

## About
- [About Catalin Adam](https://www.rootcause.ro/about): Background, verticals, and how the work is structured.
- [Contact](https://www.rootcause.ro/contact): Book a free 30-minute intro call.