A management consulting firm offering a proprietary software platform to manage ISO-based process frameworks partnered with 18North to stabilize, maintain, and enhance their legacy application. This engagement came in the aftermath of a vendor transition, with minimal documentation or technical handover. The firm’s platform is central to its service delivery and client audits, necessitating urgent remediation and long-term support.

18North took over the product, performed reverse engineering, baselined the environment, and evolved the application into a maintainable, scalable platform through phased engagement.

The client is a boutique consulting organization with its own SaaS-style ISO management product. Their software enables businesses to document, track, and audit their quality processes in alignment with various ISO standards.

Previously managed by another development vendor, the product suffered from:

• Legacy codebase inconsistencies

• Lack of structured documentation

• Accumulated defects and low test coverage

The firm needed a reliable technology partner to stabilize the product, provide continuous support, and take over enhancements critical to client satisfaction and audit cycles.

• Zero Technology Handover: The prior vendor exited without knowledge transfer or documentation.

• Highly Inconsistent Code: Modules had diverging coding patterns, dependencies, and partial implementations.

• Domain Re-baselining Required: Functional flows and business logic had to be rediscovered and reconstructed.

• Legacy Defects: Clients were actively reporting issues during production usage, impacting credibility.
• Need for Sustainable Maintenance: The platform required structure, CI setup, and clean enhancement delivery.

18North implemented a four-phase strategy:

A. Knowledge Transition & Environment Setup

• Rebuilt dev/test environments from available artifacts.

• Reverse-engineered functional behavior by stepping through UI and server logs.

• Conducted functional walkthroughs with client SMEs to map business intent.

B. Baselining & Testing

• Created structured documentation of flows, configurations, and known issues.

• Introduced a defect triage model to classify severity and recurrence frequency.

• Delivered test plans covering core ISO document flows, audit triggers, and notifications.

C. Defect Resolution

• Focused on  top-priority defects impacting production stability.

• Conducted root cause analysis and deployed patches within 2-week window.

• Established a release protocol for defect fixes with rollback and audit trail readiness.

D. Continuous Maintenance & Enhancements

• Took ownership of enhancement backlog.

• Delivered new features on top of stabilized modules.

• Recommended and introduced code refactoring opportunities during enhancements.
• Introduced basic monitoring and logging layers for long-term sustainability.

•  Stabilization Achieved in < 8 Weeks: Core platform stabilized with repeatable deployment and documented flows.

•  100% Resolution of Critical Defects: The  blocking issues impacting production use were resolved early in engagement.

•  Enhanced Client Confidence: The consulting firm resumed client-facing usage and resumed audits using the application.

•  Sustainable Roadmap Established: Feature backlog transitioned into structured delivery plans with effort estimates and test coverage.
•  Reverse-Engineered Success: Team delivered without needing legacy documentation — demonstrating 18North’s adaptability and product salvage capability.

This engagement proved that even a complex, under-documented legacy product can be transformed into a stable and maintainable solution with the right engineering mindset. 18North’s ability to step in post-vendor exit and rescue a mission-critical application reinforces its strength as a dependable partner for mid-sized firms with niche IP platforms.