Why a Code Audit Should Be Your First Step After Inheriting Software

Inheriting a software product — whether a developer left, an agency contract ended, or a company was acquired — often means taking ownership of a system no one fully understands. A code audit examines the existing codebase, infrastructure, and architecture to produce a written assessment of what should be kept, fixed, or rebuilt. Beyond technical review, audits frequently uncover critical non-technical risks such as unprotected access credentials, absent data backups, or untracked running costs. Skipping this step and immediately adding features or fixes can lead to unpredictable timelines and hidden costs, since changes to unfamiliar code are difficult to scope accurately. Experts argue that while a full rewrite is often the instinctive recommendation from new teams, there is usually a viable core worth preserving alongside a limited set of concrete issues to address.