Example · Investor or investment team
Where might our portfolio rely on the same unexamined assumptions?
An investment team compares accessible assessments to focus its technical diligence
The situation
Shared portfolio dependencies
You are reviewing a fictional portfolio of BCI ventures before a technical diligence meeting. The team can access selected saved assessments, but those records were prepared at different times. You want to investigate possible common dependencies without treating an aggregate view as a measure of portfolio financial risk
What this example starts with
- Available
- Authorized assessments describe different systems, intended uses and proposed support arrangements
- Unresolved
- Some records may not identify the vendors or services on which their plans depend
- Constraint
- Commercial exposure and contractual terms need separate diligence and may not appear in Compass
Working through the question
Choose a meaningful set
Select the assessments in Monitor Portfolio using a written inclusion rule. Check that the selected records match the ventures and uses under discussion. Keep assessment dates and maturity differences visible, and identify any portfolio holdings for which suitable accessible records are unavailable
Inspect a suspected dependency
Use summaries to identify records worth examining, then read their evidence individually. A common reliance on external decoding, support providers or specialist facilities is a question to investigate. Similar summary values alone do not show that projects share a supplier or a failure mode
Test the interpretation
Draft a hypothetical interruption and ask each team which functions it would affect, what alternatives exist and what evidence supports continuity. Separate missing disclosure from an established dependency. Bring material uncertainty back to direct technical and commercial diligence before drawing a portfolio conclusion
An illustrative take-away
A focused comparison note
Your note names the selected records, suspected dependencies and evidence still required
- Which essential services have a documented alternative?
- Which records leave supplier dependence unclear?
- What evidence would distinguish a shared vulnerability from a superficial similarity?
Written for this example to show what the reader could take into their next conversation
A private portfolio requires record access; public cases do not populate it or establish financial exposure
Try this with your own question
Your guide explains the steps, access requirements and limits for your role