Handover is a list, not a meeting
The meeting is optional. The list is not. Anyone taking over your work needs to know what exists and who owns it.
The record, filled in
Meridian Landscaping, handed to Ravi on 2026-09-30.
accounts
- registrar owned by client, recovery email is the owner's
- dns client owns, two admins listed
- host client owns, project meridian-landscaping
- repository client owns, Ravi granted write
- search domain property, client owns
- analytics GA4 property, client owns
- email workspace, client owns
code and content
- build command pnpm build, node 22
- deploy target main branch, automatic on push
- environment three names only: PUBLIC_SITE_URL, FORM_ENDPOINT, GA_ID
- forms endpoint moved to the client's account on 2026-09-29
measurement
- last baseline 2026-09-29, impressions 1,240, clicks 31, 28 days
- known gaps no key events configured
decisions
- shipped in Q3 three title rewrites, two 404s, one hours update
- verdicts two real effect by direction, one inconclusive
- declined a blog, because the offer has no content to support it
rotation, completed 2026-09-30
- host token revoked, dns token rotated, repository deploy key removed
- shared password in the notes file replaced with a link to the owner's vault
Acceptance: the handover is complete when
- every account names an owner and a recovery path
- the incoming person signed in to each account themselves
- every credential you held is rotated, with the date recorded
- a backup exists and has been restored once
- a form response is stored under the client’s own account
- your own access is removed in the same week
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The client cannot sign in to their host | The account was created under your email | Transfer ownership, then rotate |
| The domain will not move | Registrar lock, or an unpaid invoice | Remove the lock, then settle the invoice |
| The developer breaks the build | No notes on the node version | Include the version and the command |
| Old credentials still work | Rotation was skipped | Rotate now, and record the date |
| Form answers still land in your inbox | The endpoint was not moved | Move it, then test |
Limits
A handover cannot transfer an account you do not own.
If the client cannot find their own login, that is a recovery problem. Solve it before the handover date, because afterwards you have no access either.