Focused screen
A short risk report before an investor or customer conversation. It starts with one of the four answers, lists the top concerns and what needs a closer look. It doesn't say the whole system is ready.
For working products, including AI-built ones
Production Readiness Assessment
It works today. Can you depend on it for what comes next?
An independent assessment for a system that already works and is about to carry more: bigger customers, more users, a funding round or a critical business process. We tell you what to fix now, what can wait and what to keep.
What you receive
A report your team can act on.
A clear view of what is sound, what is risky and what to fix first, tied to the next stage you are preparing for.
- A short risk report (focused screen) or a scoped readiness report (integrated review and enterprise scope), showing what is sound, the main risks and the evidence behind each finding.
- It starts with one of four answers: Go ahead · Go ahead, with conditions · Not yet (not ready, or not enough evidence) · Stop. Every finding says how we know it: Verified (we saw it in the code, configuration or running system), Inferred (it follows from what we saw), Reported by your team (what people told us, not yet checked) or Still open (we couldn't settle it). What we didn't examine is listed separately.
- Recommendations in three groups: fix now, fix before the next stage, fix later. Each item names the finding, the consequence and the action.
- A walkthrough with you and your team: the answer, the recommended actions and what the report can be relied on for.
The engagement
An agreed depth. A defined result.
- Scope
- One existing product or bounded codebase, its next-stage use and the selected depth. We agree the system boundary and any specialist testing before work starts.
- Inputs
- Access to the relevant code, configuration, tests and operating evidence, any documents, and time with the people who know the system.
- Deliverables
- Focused screen: a short risk report that starts with one of the four answers and lists the top concerns. It doesn't say the whole system is ready. Integrated review and enterprise scope: a scoped readiness report. Every depth includes the recommendations, the evidence gaps and a walkthrough.
- Fee
- A fixed fee for each depth, agreed before work starts.
Assessment depth
Choose the depth the decision needs.
Integrated production review
A scoped readiness report for the next business stage, across security, reliability, scalability, data, integration, maintainability, observability and performance, and how these risks interact, with prioritised recommendations. The report says what we covered and what we didn't.
Enterprise scope
Covers more of the system, its integrations and specialist areas, for larger or regulated contexts, against criteria we agree with you. Agreed case by case. It is not a certification or a complete compliance review.
The selected depth defines what we cover and what the report can conclude. Evidence access, your team's time, specialist needs, timing and the fixed fee are agreed before work starts. Not sure which depth? We will suggest one on the call.
When this helps
Recognise the situation.
- A working product is about to serve more users, a larger customer or a critical business process.
- An investor, an enterprise security review or a launch is about to raise the stakes.
- You built it quickly with AI tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot, Lovable, Bolt, Replit or v0, and it now has real users.
- An AI pilot works in a demo and must now run reliably in production.
- You need to know what is structural risk and what is configuration or routine hardening.
- AI-assisted development has moved faster than independent architecture review.
How it works
AI-assisted investigation. Senior judgment.
Define the next stage
We agree what the system must carry next, its boundary and the operating conditions that matter.
Investigate the production risks
We examine the code, tests, configuration and operating evidence with AI-assisted tooling, bring in specialists where needed, and check the findings that matter against their sources.
Give you the answer
We explain the conditions for going ahead, what we couldn't look at and the order to fix things in.
After the assessment
What engineering can act on.
Each recommendation links the finding, the evidence, the consequence and the action, so targeted fixes can go straight to your engineers to plan and verify. Another engagement with us is not automatically needed. A full backlog of build tickets is included only if we agree it up front.
If a fix changes how components, data or integrations fit together, a Modernisation Assessment or an architecture design may help. If the next decision needs fresh evidence, a short recheck can follow.
Scope & responsibility
Agree the scope and depth. Keep the boundaries clear.
Scope of the engagement
A focused screen and an integrated review support different conclusions. The depth, source access, system complexity and specialist work set effort and timing.
Limits of reliance
A readiness report is not a guarantee, a penetration test or a compliance certificate. Where specialist testing is needed, we say so, and it can be arranged with a qualified specialist. We don't implement the fixes, so a build budget never shapes our recommendation.
Who does what. A named senior architect leads the work, checks what our tools find and owns the integrated recommendation. Specialists in security, data, platforms, integration or AI governance join where agreed. Your teams and partners build and run the system. You keep the final business and acceptance decisions.
The agreed scope of the engagement sets the coverage, deliverables, responsibilities, timing and fixed fee. Any change to the scope is agreed in writing.
A first assessment or a check at a gate? This assessment sits within Assess: we investigate the current product and set out the conditions for its next stage. A recheck or an acceptance check against agreed criteria is an Assure engagement. Explore Assure
Relevant experience
Read the work in its actual context.
Questions
Before you book.
What changes when the product contains AI?
We agree which AI risks the next stage depends on. These can include evaluation evidence, data access, model or retrieval failures, running costs and when a person takes over. Specialist testing is scoped separately.
Is this an automated code scan?
No. Tools help us read far more of the evidence. A senior architect checks the findings that matter, assesses what they mean for your business and stands behind the recommendation.
Do you assume AI-built software needs a rewrite?
No. A useful assessment recognises sound choices and separates necessary changes from unnecessary replacement.
Can you assess software not built with AI?
Yes, if it's a kind of system we know well. If it isn't, we say so on the call. We agree the scope up front. The question is whether the system is ready for its next stage, whatever tools wrote the code.
What happens to our code, and where does it go?
We use a set of tools that can run outside or inside your environment, depending on the case. We agree which, and sign an NDA, before we see any code. See Trust & information handling.
How much does it cost?
A fixed fee for each depth, agreed before any work starts. We discuss the amount on the call.
Can you recheck after the fixes?
Yes. A recheck against agreed criteria is a separate, smaller engagement. See Milestone & Remediation Rechecks.
How long does it take?
It depends on the depth and the size of the system. A focused screen of a small product usually takes about a week. An integrated review usually takes two to three weeks, and the enterprise scope longer. We agree the timing and a fixed fee for each depth before work starts.
Related work
Related services
Each is available as a standalone service when the evidence and scope support it.
Know what your system can carry.
Tell us what you've built and what's coming next. 25 minutes on Teams, no preparation needed. If this scope is not the right fit, we will say so.