Bus factor
How many people would have to disappear before a project stalls. A bus factor of one means one person holds the keys.
In small companies it is often the founder or a single freelancer: only they can deploy, only they know the hosting account, only they understand the billing code. Nothing is wrong until they are ill, leave or stop answering. Raising it is mostly writing things down and sharing access, not hiring.
Related terms
- Software takeover (handover): Moving an existing app to a new developer or team: access, code, infrastructure and the knowledge in people’s heads.
- Runbook: A short document that tells someone else how to run a system: where it lives, how to deploy, how to recover.
- Technical due diligence: A review of a company’s software, team and processes before an investment or acquisition, to price the technical risk.
