Backlog, Architecture & Stack Evaluation (BASE) Index
A structured, scored assessment of how much technical debt sits in your backlog, architecture, code, and delivery process, paired with a 12-month roadmap to a codebase your team can change safely.
Each factor helps your business understand:
How reliably your team plans and delivers on commitments
How well your architecture absorbs the next stage of growth
How expensive and risky your next code change will be
How safely your releases reach production
BASE Index
Delivered by engineering consultants, the BASE Index gives organizations a structured, scored view of where technical debt is slowing delivery and raising defect risk. We deliver a prioritized roadmap to close the highest-cost gaps without a disruptive rewrite. The BASE Index evaluates engineering health across four dimensions. The findings inform your 12-month roadmap to bring your codebase and delivery practices in line with where the business is headed.
Four Dimensions of Assessment
Every BASE engagement evaluates an organization's software delivery across four interconnected dimensions. Each is scored independently, then combined into a composite readiness score used to determine the recommended engagement tier.
Expert guidance to evaluate software solutions, compare build vs. buy options, and optimize your development processes through strategic analysis and recommendations.
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Dedicated full-time resources who integrate seamlessly into your existing team, working in your time zone and participating in all your Agile ceremonies and workflows.
Self-organizing teams of developers, testers, and a product owner who deliver software in two-week sprints with regular demos and continuous stakeholder collaboration.
Fixed-price custom development with clearly defined scope, scheduled demos, and guaranteed pricing that includes UAT windows and post-release support.
Ongoing maintenance and support agreements available as fixed-price annual contracts or hourly arrangements with specific SLAs tailored to your post-launch needs.
Trusted by SaaS vendors, offering structured, repeatable, high-volume implementations that quickly deliver customer value without burdening internal vendor teams.
01 Backlog & Project Planning
Evaluate whether work is planned well enough that the team's commitments can be trusted. Areas include Backlog Health, Prioritization, Requirements Quality, Flow & Predictability, Cycle Time, Acceptance & UAT, Scope Control, Estimation & Forecasting, Capacity Planning, and Dependency Management. Focus: Delivery predictability.
02 Architecture & System Design
Structural dimension including Architectural Fit, Decision Records, Modularity & Coupling, API & Integration Design, Third-party Isolation, Data Model & Ownership, Schema Migrations, Evolvability, Scale Fit, and Key-person Risk. Focus: Architectural intent.
03 Stack & Code Quality
Measures the cost and risk of the next change. Areas include Automated Testing, Test Coverage, Static Analysis, Maintainability, Hotspot Analysis, Code Review, Engineering Standards, Dependency Currency, Documentation, and Defect Trends. Focus: Cost of change.
04 Project Lifecycle & Delivery
Release and delivery focused. Areas include Delivery Governance, Definition of Done, CI/CD, Deployment Frequency, Lead Time, Change Failure Rate, Time to Restore, Stakeholder Reporting, Post-release Support, and Retrospectives.
Scoring Tiers
Each of the four dimensions is scored from 0 to 100. A composite score is calculated and mapped to one of three engagement tiers based on the findings from all four dimensions. The tier determines First Factory's recommended next step, ensuring you receive a path forward calibrated to where you actually are.
75–100
40–74
Score: 0–39
What You Receive
Every BASE engagement concludes with a structured set of deliverables designed for two audiences: the technical teams who will execute on recommendations, and the executive stakeholders who will fund them. All deliverables are produced by the same practitioners who conducted the assessment.
Expert guidance to evaluate software solutions, compare build vs. buy options, and optimize your development processes through strategic analysis and recommendations.
Dedicated full-time resources who integrate seamlessly into your existing team, working in your time zone and participating in all your Agile ceremonies and workflows.
Self-organizing teams of developers, testers, and a product owner who deliver software in two-week sprints with regular demos and continuous stakeholder collaboration.
Fixed-price custom development with clearly defined scope, scheduled demos, and guaranteed pricing that includes UAT windows and post-release support.
Ongoing maintenance and support agreements available as fixed-price annual contracts or hourly arrangements with specific SLAs tailored to your post-launch needs.
Trusted by SaaS vendors, offering structured, repeatable, high-volume implementations that quickly deliver customer value without burdening internal vendor teams.
Delivered by Certified Practitioners
Every Backlog, Architecture & Stack Evaluation Index engagement is led by First Factory consultants who write and review production code every week. Clients receive findings from practitioners who can also execute on them, not generalist account managers who hand off to a delivery team they've never met.
First Factory is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified, meaning we hold ourselves to the same security standards we expect in your environment. Source code access is where that matters most. Repository access is read-only, analysis runs in an environment you approve, and no code leaves your control without written agreement.
