The headline
“This SaaS product is real, working, and built on a modern, capable technology foundation. The issues we found aren’t caused by it being custom software. They come down to how change is managed and who controls the product. The single most important takeaway: the product had no reliable safety net between a developer making a change and that change reaching paying customers.”
What’s working well
- — A modern, appropriate technology stack — a sensible fit for the product
- — Core payment security handled correctly and PCI-compliant
- — Good instincts already in the codebase — a test suite exists, authorization is checked carefully — just not consistently enforced
The four core findings
- 01 No quality-control process protecting customers — nothing catches a broken change before it reaches them
- 02 The business didn’t fully control its own product — key access and knowledge sat with one person
- 03 Data sync between systems was fragile — customer data could silently fall out of sync
- 04 Production ran on free/trial tiers and workarounds — fragile footing for a revenue-generating business
“This review was performed as a complimentary introductory assessment based on a first pass over the application. It is a starting point for discussion, not an exhaustive audit.” — closing note, actual report