How to check a website handover before closing the project

A handover should leave you able to operate the site and commission future changes. Check the deliverables against the quote before treating the project as complete.

Identify what you are receiving

Confirm whether the project provides source files, a platform export, an editing account or a combination. A folder of screenshots is not a deployable website. A built static folder may be publishable while still lacking the source needed to make changes; ask for both when the agreement includes source handover.

Request usable setup notes

The notes should explain the site structure, build and deployment process, required tools and external dependencies. Record the host, custom-domain setup and where redirects are configured. Keep credentials in the appropriate account system rather than embedding them in public documentation.

Check account control

Sign in to the accounts the business owns and confirm recovery details. Review developer access according to the maintenance arrangement. Record renewal dates for the domain, hosting and paid services. Ownership needs to be practical, not just a sentence in the proposal.

Verify assets and licences

Ask for originals of supplied assets where agreed, together with publishing permissions and any licence restrictions. Identify third-party components that require renewal or cannot simply be transferred to another account. Keep customer approvals for published examples with the project record.

Prove the instructions are sufficient

Have the agreed operator repeat a small safe update in a preview environment, or ask the developer to demonstrate deployment from the delivered package. Check the result against the accepted version. This catches missing files and undocumented dependencies before an urgent future change.

Complete the handover with known limitations, defect handling and contact arrangements. Keep a final inventory of delivered files and accounts. If a required item is missing, record it as outstanding and agree its delivery; do not mark everything accepted merely because the homepage is online.

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