--- title: "Software rescue for slow, unstable, or costly systems | WIP" description: "Failure investigation, fixes for priority bottlenecks, and a database review for systems that are slow, unstable, or hard to maintain." url: https://workinprogress.company/services/software-rescue updated: 2026-10-27 lang: en --- WIP Rescue · Starting point # Slow, unstable, or expensive system? We start with the cause WIP Rescue is for systems that are already causing trouble: slowness, outages, intermittent errors, costs that keep climbing, or code nobody wants to touch. We investigate the failures, fix the priority bottlenecks, review queries and database usage, and leave a correction and prevention plan so the problem doesn't come back without warning. starting at US$ 470 Updated on October 27, 2026 ![Tangled wires around a server turn into organized lines that reach a stable server.](https://workinprogress.company/_astro/servico-rescue.DLW70wg-_Z3Xbul.png) ## How does rescuing a troubled system work? A rescue follows a fixed order: stabilize, investigate, fix what matters most, and prevent. Changing things before understanding them can make the situation worse, so each stage begins only when the previous one has produced enough information. ### 1\. Stabilize If the system is going down right now, the first task is to limit the damage: roll back a recent change, free up resources, turn off a problematic job, or add capacity for a while. It’s a stopgap, not a cure, and it is documented as one. ### 2\. Investigate Once the system is stable, we collect evidence: logs; CPU, memory, and disk usage; database query times; deployment history; and reports of when the problem shows up. Hypotheses are tested one at a time, against data, until we reach the cause or the set of causes. ### 3\. Fix what matters most Fixes follow the list agreed in the scope, starting with what most affects your users and your business. Every change is tested before it reaches production and can be rolled back. ### 4\. Prevent Anything left outside the scope becomes a correction and prevention plan, in order of priority, for your team to carry out or for a future project. ## Why not start by rewriting the system? Rewriting is the most expensive and riskiest option, and until the cause is known, nobody can tell whether a rewrite would solve the problem. A new system can repeat the same mistakes, this time without the history of fixes the old one built up. Slowness and instability can have very localized causes, for example: - a query without an index that gets slower every month as the table grows; - a server without enough memory at peak times; - a scheduled job that competes with users for resources; - database connections that are never released; - a slow external service that stalls the pages that depend on it; - a disk full of logs that nobody configured to be cleaned up. None of these cases requires rewriting the system. All of them require a diagnosis. When the investigation shows that the problem is structural, such as an architecture that can’t handle current usage or a technology that is no longer supported, the plan says so, with the options and the cost of each one. That is when modernization can make sense, in phases and with a rollback strategy, through [WIP Modernize](https://workinprogress.company/services/software-modernization). ## What happens after the rescue? At the end, you get a stabilized system, an explanation of what was found, and a correction and prevention plan for whatever was outside the scope. The goal is to keep the same problem from coming back without warning. The explanation is written in two layers: a summary for decision-makers, covering what happened, the impact, and what was done; and the technical detail for whoever will maintain the system. This keeps the knowledge from staying only with the person who made the fix. Solved problems can come back when nobody watches the warning signs: the database that starts growing again, the memory usage that creeps back up, the certificate that expires. That’s why there are three possible paths after the rescue: - **Your team takes over**, using the plan and documentation delivered. - **[WIP Care](https://workinprogress.company/services/maintenance-and-monitoring):** monitoring, alerts, backup checks, and a monthly health report. - **[WIP Managed](https://workinprogress.company/services/managed-operations):** ongoing technical oversight, with performance and cost reviews and change management. The choice is yours, and the plan you receive works for any of the three paths. ## What does WIP Rescue deliver? - Investigation of the failures, with the cause documented whenever the data makes it possible to identify it. - Fixes for the priority bottlenecks agreed in the scope. - Review of queries and database usage. - Correction and prevention plan for whatever falls outside the scope. ## Who is WIP Rescue for? - Systems that are slow, go down, or show intermittent errors. - Applications whose infrastructure bill keeps growing with no explanation. - Software that is hard to maintain, where every change breaks something else. - Anyone who inherited a system with no documentation and no way to reach the people who built it. ## What is not included in WIP Rescue? - Rewriting the system from scratch: when modernization makes sense, it becomes a separate project under WIP Modernize. - Fixing everything that turns up: the scope covers the agreed priority problems, and the rest goes into the plan. - Ongoing monitoring after delivery, available through WIP Care or WIP Managed. ## How much does WIP Rescue cost? WIP Rescue starts at US$ 470. Reference price. The final price depends on the cause, criticality, and extent of the problems and is agreed before work starts. Infrastructure, licenses, and third-party services are paid for separately. ## Frequently asked questions about WIP Rescue ### How much does it cost to fix a slow or unstable system? WIP Rescue has a reference price starting at US$ 470 per project. The final price depends on the cause, criticality, and extent of the problems and is agreed before work starts, with a written scope. Infrastructure, licenses, and third-party services are charged separately. ### Does WIP work on systems built by other people? Yes. WIP Rescue was designed for existing systems built by other people, other teams, or AI tools. The first step is to understand the code, the infrastructure, and the failure history before changing anything. ### What if the problem is urgent? Say how urgent it is in your diagnosis request. Urgency is factored into the initial assessment, and the first step becomes stabilizing the system before investigating the cause in depth. Support outside business hours happens only when agreed in advance. ### Is the fix guaranteed? We don't promise results before we know the cause. Our commitment is to investigate methodically, fix the bottlenecks agreed in the scope, and document what we found. If the cause is beyond the project's reach, such as in a third-party service, we tell you, along with the available options. ### What is the difference between WIP Rescue and WIP Optimize? WIP Rescue solves problems that are already affecting the system, such as outages, errors, and severe slowness. WIP Optimize improves a system that works but could be faster or cheaper, with targets set after the diagnosis. ## Related services Technical diagnosis ### [WIP Check](https://workinprogress.company/services/technical-diagnosis) You don't know if your system is secure, if your backups work, or where to start improving it. starting at US$ 150 Performance and costs ### [WIP Optimize](https://workinprogress.company/services/performance-and-costs) The system works, but it slows down when it matters most or costs more than it should. quoted after assessment Maintenance and monitoring ### [WIP Care](https://workinprogress.company/services/maintenance-and-monitoring) The system is live, but nobody keeps regular track of backups, updates, and alerts. starting at US$ 185 per month ## Start with a diagnosis Before investing in changes, understand the risks, bottlenecks and waste in your system. WIP Check delivers an executive report and a prioritized action plan. [Request a technical diagnosis](https://workinprogress.company/diagnosis)