Access and ownership
Confirm who owns the source repository, domain, hosting account and data services. Use organisation-controlled accounts where appropriate. Document the access model and remove temporary access deliberately at the end of an engagement.
A reproducible release
The next engineer should be able to install the project, run the important tests and deploy a release using documented steps. Record required environment variable names, compatible runtimes and the database migration process without putting secrets in the repository.
Operating the system
Agree on monitoring, backups, restoration, support and incident ownership. A backup is only useful when the team knows how to restore it. Test recovery in an isolated environment and record what the test demonstrated.
Known limitations
Keep a clear record of outstanding decisions, accepted risks and unfinished work. This is more useful than a vague promise that everything is complete. Distinguish defects from future improvements and identify who will handle each.
A real walkthrough
Ask the delivery team to demonstrate the main user journeys, administrative workflows and recovery procedures. Use the session to update the documentation. Handover succeeds when the receiving team can operate the product independently.
