Documentation debt remediation proposal
Overview
Inherited environments often lack diagrams, credential hygiene, and license records. Sell remediation as a bounded project, not endless T&M sink.
Assessment deliverable
Gap list prioritized by risk: unknown domain admins > missing Visio > stale Wi-Fi password doc.
Phasing
Phase 1: survival docs (core infra creds, DR contacts). Phase 2: network + app inventory. Phase 3: automation / CMDB sync.
Estimating
Use fixed discovery days + variable build based on site count; buffer 20% for rabbit holes explicitly disclosed.
Visuals
Before/after secure score or incident response readiness score sells value beyond “pretty diagrams.”
Risks
Client staff hiding tribal knowledge—interview calendar mandatory; exec air cover for cooperation.
Payment milestone
Invoice after each phase sign-off; do not wait 9 months for giant reveal.
Exit criteria
Defined checklist in SOW: e.g., “100% critical servers in vault with tested credential.”
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