Questions

How do I hand over a software project?

Short answer

Move four things on purpose: access (code, hosting, domains, third-party accounts and secrets), documentation (architecture, setup, deployment, runbooks), knowledge (walkthroughs with the people who built it) and open work (bugs, debt and plans). Plan the handover with time where both teams overlap, not as a single file dump.

Last updated 2026-10-25

Handover checklist

1Repository with full history, and the right to use all the code under the contract.
2Admin access to hosting, databases, domains, DNS, app stores, email and every third-party service, with credentials rotated afterwards.
3Setup guide: how to run the project locally, test it and deploy it.
4Architecture overview, data model and list of integrations.
5Runbooks for incidents, backups and restores.
6Open issues, known technical debt and the roadmap.
7Recorded walkthrough sessions and a short period where the old team answers questions.

Make it easy from the start

The cheapest handover is one prepared for from day one: accounts in the client's name, automated deployments and documentation kept up as the code changes. Ask for this in the contract.

Frequently asked

Common follow-up questions.

What if the old vendor will not cooperate?

Check the contract's IP and handover clauses. If you hold the repository and accounts, a new team can usually work it out from the code, more slowly.

How long should a handover overlap last?

Long enough for the new team to deploy a change and handle a small incident with the old team available. It depends on system size.

Should the new team audit the code first?

Yes. A short audit sets realistic expectations about quality, risks and how fast changes will go.

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