Pressure test 11 · operational
Audit firm continuity failure
A key smart contract auditor (e.g., the firm that audited Template C modules) goes out of business or loses the key personnel who performed the original audit, making ongoing audit coverage and re-audit for updates unavailable.
Scenario
A key smart contract auditor (e.g., the firm that audited Template C modules) goes out of business or loses the key personnel who performed the original audit, making ongoing audit coverage and re-audit for updates unavailable.
Cost / impact
One deployment cycle delayed and re-onboarding cost of approximately $50k–$80k extra while a replacement firm is onboarded and brought up to speed on the module architecture.
Prevention
Avoid single-sourcing audits. Use multiple firms across the template library so no single firm's exit creates a complete audit gap.
Mitigation
Re-onboard from the open audit-scoping documentation (02-governance-templates/02-modules.md). The named invariants and module-by-module scoping are sufficient for a new firm to conduct a fresh audit without the original firm's institutional knowledge.
Residual risk
Low. The smart contract audit market is mature enough that continuity is achievable within one cycle.