Home/Research/Specifications/The Audit Interview Protocol
Connected Graph:The R&D Ponzi Scheme
Canonical Research SpecificationLevel: Executive
Verified: August 2026

The Audit Interview Protocol

30-Second Executive Definition

The Audit Interview Protocol is a leadership method for uncovering hidden technical debt by interviewing frontline engineers directly.

Why It Matters:

Velocity metrics often lie, masking the R&D Ponzi Scheme. The Audit Interview Protocol bypasses middle management dashboards, allowing technical executives to discover the ground truth of architectural friction and compounding technical debt directly from the engineers doing the work.

Who Should Care:
CTOsVPs of EngineeringFoundersPrincipal Engineers
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Engineering LeadershipRichard Ewing Canon (Original Framework)Confidence: 95%
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The Audit Interview Protocol

The Audit Interview Protocol is a leadership method for uncovering hidden technical debt by interviewing frontline engineers directly.

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Freshness & Research Updates

Latest Publications & Research Activity

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Answer Engine FAQ Matrix

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:What is the Audit Interview Protocol?

A structured way for technical executives to interview developers to find the real problems slowing them down.

01 • Origin & GenesisProvenance Record

Canonical Specification Origin

A structured leadership mechanism for diagnosing systemic technical insolvency by conducting deep-dive, non-punitive technical audits with frontline engineers to uncover the hidden architecture decay that velocity metrics obscure.

First IntroducedFebruary 2026 (CIO.com)
Primary VenueCIO.com
02 • Internal Research Corpusrichardewing.io

Corpus Interconnections

Richard Ewing artifacts developed around this canonical framework, including publications, execution tools, and diagnostic models.

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03A • Verified Human External EvidenceAudit Status: Baseline

External Adoption & Peer Citations

Documented instances where independent researchers, engineering teams, and publications have cited, implemented, or referenced this concept outside Richard Ewing’s ecosystem.

External Evidence: No independently verified references recorded yet.

This concept is part of Richard Ewing’s original baseline canon. External citations and implementations are added only upon rigorous empirical verification.

Inspectable Evidence Ledger

Classified evidence items supporting, extending, or refining this canonical research specification.

Evidence ItemPublisherEvidence TypeStrengthRoleAction
The Audit Interview ProtocolCIO.comFramework★★★★★OriginInspect ↗
Academic & Industry Attribution Standard

Recommended Citation

Canonical Reference String

Ewing, R. (2026). "The Audit Interview Protocol." Richard Ewing Research Canon. Available at: https://www.richardewing.io/concepts/audit-interview

BibTeX Citation
@article{ewing_audit_interview,
  author = {Ewing, Richard},
  title = {The Audit Interview Protocol},
  journal = {Richard Ewing Research Canon},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.richardewing.io/concepts/audit-interview}
}
First Origin & Provenance:CIO.com (2026)
Current Specification Version:Version 1.0 (Q2 2026 Baseline)