# Half-finished software project rescue checklist

Work in this order. Preserve access and evidence before changing code or infrastructure.

## First 24 hours: secure ownership

- Confirm organization-level access to the source repository.
- Export a copy of the repository and record the current commit.
- Confirm ownership of the domain, DNS and email accounts.
- Confirm access to hosting, cloud, database and object storage accounts.
- Confirm access to payment, email, analytics and monitoring providers.
- Rotate credentials only after identifying every service that uses them.
- Do not delete the previous environment until backups are verified.

## Preserve the current state

- Take a database backup and test that it can be restored.
- Export environment-variable names without placing secret values in the audit document.
- Record deployed application versions and infrastructure configuration.
- Save current error logs, uptime history and known incident notes.
- Capture screenshots or recordings of working and broken user journeys.

## Technical assessment

- Can a new developer install dependencies and run the application?
- Do the production and repository versions match?
- Do tests, linting and the production build pass?
- Which user journeys work from start to finish?
- Which integrations are live, in test mode or unknown?
- Are database migrations complete and reversible?
- Are backups, monitoring and alerting active?
- Are there known security or dependency issues?

## Product assessment

- What is the smallest releasable outcome?
- Which unfinished features can be removed?
- Which defects block revenue, trust or data safety?
- Which requirements are documented, assumed or disputed?
- Who can approve scope and acceptance decisions?

## Recovery decision

Choose one after the assessment:

- Continue: the foundation is sound and remaining work is understood.
- Stabilize, then continue: fix deployment, data or security risks first.
- Rebuild a bounded part: preserve working systems and replace only the failing boundary.
- Stop: the cost or risk is higher than the business value.

## Handover package for the next developer

- Repository and branching instructions
- Environment setup and deployment steps
- Architecture and integration map
- Database backup and migration notes
- Prioritized issue list with acceptance criteria
- Account owner list and access status
- Known risks and explicit out-of-scope items

Prepared by Ijaz Khan — https://ijazkhan.com/contact