A scoped discovery option

Operational Systems Audit

A focused engineering review for businesses and consultancy partners assessing an existing operational system. We agree what needs to be reviewed before work begins; an audit is one possible starting point, rather than a prerequisite for every project.

The situation this is for

This is typically useful when:

  • An established application needs changes but its dependencies or risks are unclear
  • Recurring reliability issues need investigation before planning improvements
  • A consultancy needs an engineering assessment of a client system before defining a work package
  • Scope or effort cannot yet be estimated responsibly

What we do

The written discovery scope identifies the systems and questions to review. Depending on that scope, the review may include:

  • 01A walkthrough of the application and its operational use with the people responsible
  • 02Review of relevant architecture, code, integrations, database behaviour, and available operational evidence
  • 03Identification of dependencies, technical risks, and uncertainties that affect proposed changes
  • 04Recommendations for a defined improvement engagement, with assumptions and further assessment needs made explicit

Agree the deliverables before starting

Written findings for the agreed review questions
Identified risks, dependencies, and evidence gaps
Practical recommendations and priorities
An outline of possible next steps and estimation assumptions

The engagement outline confirms which deliverables are included. Findings reflect the agreed scope and the evidence made available.

Scope, access, and boundaries

Before starting, agree the following in writing:

  • The systems, review questions, exclusions, deliverables, and acceptance criteria
  • The people needed for walkthroughs, documents to provide, and any code, logs, or environment access required
  • Client authorisation, confidentiality, hosting locations, and South African access to client information; use anonymised or synthetic data where possible
  • Any production access or changes: the review does not itself authorise implementation, penetration testing, or a compliance certification

For consultancy-led work, the consultancy retains the client relationship and agrees the scope and communication boundaries. Any implementation is scoped and agreed separately.

Fees and timing

01Free introductory qualification call to discuss fit and the questions to answer.
02Scoped paid discovery: agree the fee, charging basis, estimated effort, duration, deliverables, and required access before work begins.
03Review the findings and decide whether to commission further work. There is no automatic implementation commitment.

Discuss what your system needs

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