Map all your tech dependencies, identify single points of failure, and create a risk-ranked inventory of what keeps your product alive.
Timeline: Weeks 1-2 | Focus: Risk Reduction & Visibility
| Task | Done? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Map all core dependencies (hosting, APIs, frameworks) | ☐ | Example: AWS, Stripe, Firebase, React |
| Identify bottlenecks (tech, process, people) | ☐ | Example: Only one dev knows deployment; manual testing |
| Identify tech debt silently increasing spend | ☐ | Example: Old Firebase functions still running, unused AWS instances |
| Ask: “If this fails tomorrow, what breaks?” | ☐ | Example: Checkout fails → revenue stops; notifications fail → UX drops |
| Highlight single points of failure | ☐ | Example: Dev laptop is the only source of truth for code |
| List all systems keeping product alive | ☐ | Example: app, database, hosting, billing, monitoring |
| Assign ownership for each system | ☐ | Example: [Name] owns AWS infrastructure |
| Estimate recovery time for each system | ☐ | Example: Database restore = 2 hours |
| Check cloud accounts for ghost resources | ☐ | Example: Found 3 unused EC2 instances |
| Document bus factor = 1 knowledge areas | ☐ | Example: Only Sarah knows deployment process |
| Draw customer journey flow diagram | ☐ | |
| Mark external dependencies on diagram | ☐ | |
| Assign risk colors to top 3 dependencies | ☐ | Example: 🟥 Payment API, 🟨 Email service, 🟩 Analytics |
List every app, service, database, API, library, and third-party service that your product relies on. Include infrastructure (like your cloud hosting on AWS/Azure, servers, Firebase), external APIs (payments, analytics, messaging), and major frameworks or libraries in your code. This comprehensive inventory is the foundation of your risk map.
Action Items:
For each dependency on your list, note who is responsible for it (internal team or third-party), what happens to the user experience if it fails, and how long it would take to restore service. Essentially, answer “if this goes down, what breaks and how bad is it?” for every item. This exercise highlights your most fragile points and where you need contingency plans.
Action Items: