A practical project handover checklist

Define what is being handed over

A handover should help the receiving person locate the work, understand its current state and continue it. Begin with the scope: which project or workstream is included, who is handing it over, who will receive it and the effective date.

Describe exclusions as clearly as inclusions. If a later release, external approval or support agreement is outside this handover, say so. This prevents a list of available files from implying that every project obligation is finished.

List deliverables with evidence

Use a deliverables table with the item, a current file or version reference, an owner and a review status. Provide a location the recipient can actually access, then test that access before the meeting.

Keep “Ready for review” distinct from “Accepted”. An approval needs a record you can point to, and the tool cannot create that evidence for you.

Give open work a next owner

For each open issue, explain the effect, name the next owner and specify a next action or review date. Avoid vague entries such as “Some testing remains”. The recipient should be able to tell which work is unfinished.

Open issue: Six payment tests are blocked by sandbox access.
Next owner: Sam Lee.
Next step: Restore access, rerun tests and attach the results.
Review date: 12 October 2026.

Reference credentials through your organisation’s secure sharing process. Do not put passwords, tokens or private keys into the handover file.

Walk through the first week

• Can the recipient open every referenced file and system?
• Are versions and acceptance conditions clear?
• Does each open issue have an owner and a next step?
• Is there a contact and follow-up date for unresolved questions?

Review the handover with the receiving person. Record the outcome using your usual sign-off process, then update the deliverables register and the open issue list. A generated document supplies structure; the conversation and evidence establish the handover.

A complete worked example

“All files delivered” says little about whether operations can use them. This example identifies scope exclusions, access transfer and test evidence. Ready for review is kept separate from Accepted, and placeholders identify references the author still needs to supply.

What to change at the next update

During the receiving owner’s review, replace reference placeholders with accessible locations and versions. Change a review status only after recording the actual outcome. Keep an unresolved alert test in open items, even if other files are accepted.

To try this record, open the related tool and select Load example. Replace the fictional names, dates and facts before using it. The tool’s review suggestions identify missing details; they cannot establish that a decision was agreed.

File handling references: Chrome printing and Microsoft Office PDF export. These references explain file operations; the project-writing suggestions above are original WorkFormKit guidance.