How we work
A TRARDI engagement, from the first meeting to transfer.
Five steps, a named owner at each and a closure observed in practice. Here is what actually happens, and what we expect from you.
Engagement at a glance
- Scope
- Set in the mandate with exclusions and required access
- Terms
- Timetable and financial terms agreed before work starts
- Cadence
- Regular decision checkpoint with the engagement lead
- Closure
- Autonomy exercise passed by your team, then formal acceptance
Scoping
The mandate: a decision, a deadline, an authority
The engagement starts from a decision to inform, never from a presupposed solution. In the first conversation you describe the system, the decision in front of you and the date by which it must be taken. We reformulate the question and propose a written mandate: scope, entities and third parties covered, access required, criteria, exclusions, confidentiality and declared conflicts of interest.
- What you provide
- A description of the system, the deadline, the name of the authority who will decide
- What we deliver
- Engagement letter, access list and schedule
Examination
The examination: the system in its real version
We examine the system as it runs and test statements against the available contracts, configurations, logs, data and tests. Every finding distinguishes the observed fact, the interpretation, the confidence level and what could not be verified. Scope owners read the findings and respond before the conclusion.
- What you provide
- The agreed access and a technical contact available during the examination windows set in the mandate
- What we deliver
- Interim findings every week, open questions, reservations
Decision
The decision: every finding gets one
Options are compared with a baseline, including keeping the current system and the no-AI scenario. Every finding carries a severity, an owner and an expected decision: fix before committing, restrict use, investigate missing evidence, or accept the residual risk. Leadership decides on a one-page table.
Where the mandate covers it
Release: one version, one test, one signature
When the engagement concerns a release, the decision covers an identified version, tested in a representative environment with the teams that will operate it. Results, gaps and residual risks are presented to the competent authority, which authorises, restricts, defers or refuses. The decision is dated and reasoned.
Closure
Transfer: the engagement closes on demonstrated autonomy
Documentation, access and procedures are handed to internal owners and exercised on the deployed system: qualify an alert, execute a change, decide a fallback, trigger recovery. The engagement ends when your team passes that exercise without us, and the internal owner signs the acceptance.
- What you provide
- An internal counterpart appointed in the mandate
- What we deliver
- Versioned documentation in editable formats, exercise record, review schedule
Independence
What guarantees the conclusion is ours
The mandate distinguishes advisory, design and examination work. Any commercial relationship or situation that could affect independence is declared; conflicts of interest, access restrictions and unverified elements are written into the conclusion.
Sources and references
- ISO 19011:2018 (new tab)
Guidelines for auditing management systems: principles, programme, audit evidence.
- ISO/IEC 42001:2023 (new tab)
Requirements for an artificial intelligence management system.
- NIST AI RMF 1.0 (new tab)
Govern, map, measure and manage the risks of an AI system.
Frequently asked questions
When are financial terms agreed?
After scoping and before work starts. The proposal states the scope, access, depth of examination, timetable and financial terms. Any change of scope is named and agreed.
What is needed to start?
A decision to inform, a deadline, the authority expected to decide and an initial description of the system. Access and contacts are then defined according to sensitivity.
Does the method apply only to AI?
It applies to AI systems and, where the decision requires it, to the digital systems they depend on: data, identities, hosting, suppliers.
Can you audit a system you helped design?
Not without saying so. The mandate distinguishes advisory, design and examination work and declares prior responsibilities. Where independence requires it, we recommend a third party.
First conversation
Want to know whether your situation fits?
The first conversation is used to restate the question and determine whether an engagement is relevant — or to point you elsewhere.