The design of the system
How justified the decisions are, where the bottlenecks are and what happens if the load doubles.
We assess against concrete criteria rather than taste: whether it will take growth, how easy it is to maintain, how well protected it is and whether everything depends on one person.
How justified the decisions are, where the bottlenecks are and what happens if the load doubles.
Readability, whether there are tests, duplication, whether documentation exists at all.
Outdated and abandoned components, and those with known vulnerabilities.
What was put off until later and what clearing that backlog would cost.
Whether another team could pick it up or the knowledge lives in one developer's head.
A list of risks and proposals set out so that more than just a technical specialist can follow them.
An average project is reviewed in two or three weeks including the interviews and writing the report.
A transaction, a change of contractor, a risk assessment - the emphasis depends on the purpose.
We get the code, the documentation and access to the servers, and talk to the team.
We test against the criteria and record the findings and what each of them threatens.
A report with the risks, the priorities and an estimate of what the fixes cost.
The most dangerous finding is usually not clumsy code but dependence on one person. The solution may be written without brilliance, but when exactly one person understands it and no documentation exists, the organisation is on their hook. We assess that risk separately from technical quality.
Yes, that is the most common reason people come to us. An outside review gives a sober picture: what has been done, in what state it is and what it costs to take it on. With it in hand you discuss the matter on facts with both the previous contractor and the next one.
We are not looking for someone to blame; we describe the state of things and the risks. Nobody is being appraised. The report often turns out to help the team: arguments the developers have been making to management for years are finally heard from an independent source.
We will say it plainly, with reasoning and costings for both routes: repair or rewrite. The choice is yours, but it is wiser to base it on figures rather than impressions.
Tell us about the system and the purpose of the review. We will deliver a report with the risks ordered by importance.
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It is already with a manager. You will get an answer within the working day, and urgent requests go to the duty engineer immediately.
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