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Approach

How I read a system

We agree the question, system boundary, access and deliverables before starting. A focused audit can fit into five working days; broader questions need a different scope. The investigation follows the risks relevant to your decision, including ongoing operation, inherited code, AI-built systems, launch, growth or acquisition diligence.

The long version For acquisition diligence, see how deal shape changes the review order
  1. 01

    Exposure and access

    I examine what can be reached from outside the system, who can access production and which permissions allow changes. The evidence may include infrastructure configuration, application routes and current access rules.

  2. 02

    Data and recovery

    I review backup configuration and the evidence from restore exercises. A configured backup and a demonstrated recovery answer different questions. Where a restore has not been exercised, the report keeps that gap explicit.

  3. 03

    Deployment and rollback

    I trace how a change reaches production, what checks run, how configuration is supplied and how a release can be reversed. A recovery exercise or change to infrastructure requires its own agreed access and scope.

  4. 04

    Application behaviour

    I follow the code and data paths relevant to the question: permissions, background jobs, integrations or operational AI features. Tests, logs and observed behaviour help distinguish an implementation from evidence that it works under the conditions being reviewed.

Findings and next steps

The report separates observed findings, evidence gaps and priorities. It gives your team a basis for deciding what to change and what to investigate further.

The audit is useful as a standalone engagement. Implementation, stabilisation and verification can be scoped separately; they are not a condition of receiving or using the report.

Sample deliverables

Four documents, each one complete enough to judge. Real client work stays private, so the subjects are fictional. The format, the evidence standard and the reasoning are the parts that carry over.