Independent Build Verification
An independent, bounded review of a system under construction — code, architecture, data model, migrations, tests and controls — ending in a written assessment and a clear position: Proceed, Proceed with conditions, or Rework before continuing.
STYD provides an independent, bounded review of a software or data system under construction, covering code, architecture, data model, migrations, tests, security and data integrity, for business owners and for agencies or builders. The written assessment rates findings by severity and evidence and ends in one of three positions: Proceed, Proceed with conditions, or Rework before continuing.
The problem
When an agency, a freelancer, an internal team or AI coding tools build a system, the business usually cannot judge the work until something breaks. Demos look fine; the structural problems sit underneath — a data model that cannot hold the real rules, records matched by name, migrations that cannot be re-run safely, credentials handled carelessly, no real tests. Each week of work built on top makes them more expensive to fix.
Who it's for
Business owners paying for a custom build who cannot assess its technical quality themselves, and agencies or builders who want an independent check before a milestone, a handover or go-live — including systems built quickly with AI coding tools.
The outcome
A clear, independent answer to "is what has been built so far sound enough to keep building on?" — with the evidence behind it — so the next milestone, payment or go-live decision rests on facts rather than on a progress report.
What STYD delivers
STYD reviews the current codebase, architecture and documentation, data model, migrations, tests and any implementation evidence supplied, across security, identity and data integrity, synchronization, migration and implementation risk. Non-destructive validation and test runs are included where the access and environment allow it. Each finding states its severity, evidence status, unresolved concerns and practical impact, and the report ends with an independent position — Proceed, Proceed with conditions, or Rework before continuing — plus corrective direction for areas that are failing, incomplete or structurally risky. The review covers the state examined at that time; it is an assessment, not supervision of the builder, implementation, coaching or code patches.
Common questions this service helps with
- independent code review for software project
- second opinion on developer's work
- third-party review of custom software build
- review app built with AI coding tools
- independent technical audit before go-live
- data platform architecture review
Pricing
Final pricing is confirmed after a short scoping conversation.
FAQ
It is broader. A code review looks at code quality; this looks at whether the system as a whole — architecture, data model, migrations, controls, data integrity — is sound enough to continue, and ends in a position you can act on.
Yes. Agencies and builders use it as an independent check before a milestone, a handover or go-live. The assessment stays independent either way.
No. The review is independent precisely because the reviewer is not building or fixing the system. The report gives corrective direction; the builder, or anyone you choose, implements it.
At any point in the build. Earlier reviews catch structural problems before more work is built on top of them, when they are cheaper to fix.
From $1,900 per review, scaled by the size of the system. One review covers the state examined; a check after later changes is a separate review.
Implementation, code patches, training, ongoing coaching and live development direction. This is not a penetration test or a certified compliance audit.
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Tell us about your setup and we'll confirm fit, scope, and pricing.