Stop looking at the code.

You can't understand it. You nod and say, "Looks good."

This is dangerous.

Don't mix "It works" with "It is well-made." You cannot judge the code. But you MUST judge the process.

Here's a 4-step framework for non-tech founders:

1. The Friday night test Ask, "If we deploy this and it breaks, how do we revert?" If the answer is "We push a fix," you are exposed. If the answer is "one-click rollback," you are safe.

2. The zero-test veto You can't read the test code. But you can count it. A PR with 500 lines of code and 0 tests? Reject it. Immediately. No tests = You are building legacy debt from Day 1.

3. The trade-off confession Every feature has a cost. Ask, "What did we hack to ship this today?" Senior devs will give you a list. Junior devs will pretend it's perfect. (This is your red flag).

4. The failure demo Don't ask if it works. Assume it works. Ask, "Show me what happens when the API fails." App crashes or returns a vague error? Error handling is poorly executed.

The reality: This framework catches behavioral red flags. It does not catch structural issues (security, DB bottlenecks, architecture).

You can audit the discipline. You cannot audit the decisions.

One is management. The other is expertise.