A software handover checklist for business owners

Confirm the business can operate the product

A handover is more than a zip file. The receiving team needs access, context and a repeatable way to release and recover the software. Confirm ownership and access rights against the actual agreement.

Inventory accounts and assets

Record owners and recovery contacts; transfer access through the approved process rather than copying passwords into a document.

• Source repository, issue history and release versions.
• Hosting, databases, domains and app-store accounts.
• Third-party services, billing owners and renewals.
• Configuration names, secret storage and permissions.
• Design assets, content and maintenance licences.

Observe a release and recovery exercise

Have the receiving team follow setup and deployment instructions in a suitable environment. Check that a backup can be restored and monitoring reaches the correct support contact. Record prerequisites and gaps discovered.

Agree what happens after handover

List known issues, supported environments and escalation responsibilities. Distinguish defect support from new features. When the team changes, review access and rotate credentials through the agreed process without interrupting production services.