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Technical Due Diligence Red-Flag Checklist

Eighteen questions about the company you are looking at. You get the red flags graded by what they do to the deal, and every "don't know" turned into a question for the founders.

Six areas, eighteen questions

Answer for the target company, from what you have been told and shown. "Don't know" is a fair answer.

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Red flags, worst first
    Ask the founders
      Technical due diligence, From $4,500 CAD
      A screen, not a finding. It grades what you have been told, so it is only as good as the answers. Partly counts as a red flag at its severity; "don't know" is listed separately as a question to ask. Use it to decide where diligence should dig, not whether a company is sound.

      Related free tools

      Due Diligence Readiness Scorecard

      The same questions from the company's side of the table.

      Security Program Scorecard

      A fuller self-assessment against CIS Controls IG1.

      External Exposure Snapshot

      Check the target's domain from the outside in seconds.

      Questions

      Who is this checklist for?

      Investors, acquirers and their advisers looking at a software company. Answer it from what the founders have told you and what is in the data room. If you are the company being looked at, the Due Diligence Readiness Scorecard is the other side of the same questions.

      What makes something a deal-changing red flag?

      Something that transfers a liability you cannot easily fix after closing: code the company does not own, an undisclosed incident involving customer data, personal data held without a lawful basis, or a compliance claim made to customers that is not true. Most other findings are a cost, which belongs in the price or the 100-day plan.

      Why does "don't know" count against the target?

      Because in diligence an unanswered question is a risk until it is answered. Each one becomes a question for the founders, and how quickly and plainly they answer is itself useful information.

      Can founders answer these honestly from memory?

      Some, yes. Code ownership, open source licences and what data is held where are often wrong in good faith, which is why a technical review checks them directly rather than taking the answer on trust.

      Is this checklist free?

      Yes, free and no signup. Your answers stay in your browser.

      Get the answers checked, not just given.

      We review the target's code, cloud, security and data practices directly, interview the team and give you a written report with findings graded by deal impact, before you sign. From $4,500 CAD.

      See technical due diligence Talk about a target

      Not ready for a call yet?

      Get the red flags and founder questions by email

      Your graded red flags and the questions to send the founders, then a few short notes from Jacob on what technical diligence usually turns up. Unsubscribe in one click. Reply anytime; it reaches him directly.

      From Jacob Masse, principal of traztech: the files by email, then a few short notes over the next month. No spam, unsubscribe in one click.

      Want it done for you?

      Technical due diligence

      A direct review of the target's code, cloud and security, with findings graded by deal impact.

      Explore Technical due diligence →

      Want the full picture?

      This gives you the shape of the problem. traztech Workspace walks you through every control of whichever frameworks apply to you, in plain English, with an evidence register, policy templates, a risk register, vendor questionnaires, and an audit-readiness score. Start a free assessment and walk every control.

      Start your free assessment See what is in the Workspace

      No credit card, no trial clock, no locked features. TrazTech makes money when someone wants help closing the gaps, not from the Workspace itself.