Technical assessment service
Traceable examination of project histories, requirements, change states, technical decisions, delivery states and risks.
Technical reconstruction and assessment of IT projects
In disputed, delayed or poorly documented IT projects, the first task is to establish which technical and documented project state actually existed at a particular time. Requirements, tickets, specifications, repository history, builds, releases, tests, technical decisions, communications and change records can be correlated into a reviewable technical chronology.
Typical questions
- What technical project state existed at a defined date?
- Which requirements, changes and acceptance criteria were documented and technically implemented?
- Which repository, commit, branch, build, release or deployment states can be reliably attributed?
- Which architecture or technology decisions are documented and what technical consequences are visible?
- Where do tickets, specifications, communications, code, tests and delivered system states contradict one another?
- Which technical risks, dependencies, open points or technical debt are supported by the evidence?
- Which alternative explanations remain plausible for delays, failures or quality problems?
Methodological approach
The examination separates question, time period, reference requirements, technical artefacts, finding, interpretation and professional assessment. Timestamps and version evidence are connected to a chronology only where the evidence supports the attribution. Alternative causes are tested rather than inferring causality from temporal correlation alone.
Assessment focus
- Requirements, specifications, acceptance criteria and requirements-to-actual-state comparison.
- Project chronology from tickets, records, communications and technical artefacts.
- Repository, commit, branch, tag, build, release and deployment history.
- Architecture, interfaces, data flows and integration decisions.
- Test, QA and acceptance evidence and its technical significance.
- Change requests, scope changes and their technical effects.
- Dependencies, technical debt, maintainability and operating risks.
- Handover capability, supplier change and technical transferability.
Technical findings do not automatically answer contractual interpretation, breach, fault or damages. Those decisions remain with the responsible legal or commercial decision-makers.
Example scope of an assessment
- Review of project records, specifications, change logs and communications.
- Technical assessment of implementation and architecture.
- Reconstruction of repository, build, test, release and deployment evidence.
- Report with findings, professional assessment, counter-hypotheses and statement boundaries.
Indicative fee range: approximately €1,500–€4,500 net, depending on project size, evidence quality and required report depth. The amount is for orientation only and is not a binding offer.
Related technical knowledge
Constructed case study: IT project assessment
Reconstructing project history, requirements and technical evidence before assessing deviations.
Constructed examination scenario: This is a methodological example, not a real mandate, a real court appointment or a report of actual findings.
Diagnosis – reconstruct the project situation
Review schedules, requirements, change records, communications, repository states and technical deliveries. Separate technical, organisational and communication factors.
Objectives – define the examination frame
Specify whether the assessment concerns requirements implementation, acceptance criteria, project chronology, technical decisions, delivery states or another defined technical question.
Analysis – correlate documentary and technical evidence
Compare specifications, tickets, repositories, builds, tests and releases. Test alternative explanations for delays, integration failures or quality issues instead of inferring causality from chronology alone.
Expert synthesis – documented deviations and limits
Summarise what is technically supported, which deviations are documented and which uncertainties remain. Contract interpretation, breach, fault and damages remain outside the technical assessment.
Methodological inspiration: Nicolai Andler, Tools für Projektmanagement, Workshops und Consulting – Kompendium der wichtigsten Techniken und Methoden, 6th revised and expanded edition, Publicis, Erlangen, 2015, ISBN 978-3-89578-453-8. The examination sequence and expert synthesis used here are independently formulated for technical expert work.
Initial technical classification of an enquiry
Before accepting an assignment, the technical question, subject of examination, available records, potential conflicts of interest and the required scope are reviewed. An individual non-binding proposal can then be prepared.
Contact Mathias Ellmann