Taking over a live web application is an exercise in reducing unknowns. The first month should establish access, ownership, operational visibility, critical risks, and a realistic order of work before major changes begin.
Taking over a live web application is an exercise in reducing unknowns. The first month should establish access, ownership, operational visibility, critical risks, and a realistic order of work before major changes begin — not because caution is an end in itself, but because changing a system you do not yet understand is how continuity gets broken.
Before any technical review begins, agree who is responsible for the handover on both sides, and confirm that the current system keeps running without disruption during the transition. A handover with no named owner tends to lose momentum exactly when clarity matters most.
At the end of the review, there should be a clear record of what access and documentation exist, a prioritized list of risks with enough detail to act on, an understanding of the critical journeys that cannot fail, and an agreed plan for ongoing responsibility. Where the backlog surfaces significant gaps in test coverage or areas that need real feature work rather than stabilization, that should be flagged separately as a distinct, scoped development effort rather than folded quietly into day-to-day support.
Start with a structured review of the system, access, risks, and operational priorities.