A client project handover checklist your next teammate can follow

Make the handover about what the client receives

The last message on a project often says “all done”, while the actual handover is scattered across attachments, revisions and conversations. Start with a short list of the outputs the receiving person needs. For a presentation, that might be the final editable file, the viewing copy, the agreed slide count and a note about any assets supplied separately.

Use the client-linked project as context and the task as the home of each deliverable. In besteam, tasks can hold the kind of work, quantity, assigned people, dates, description and discussion. Those details help a colleague distinguish a twenty-slide presentation from a general request to help with a pitch. Use sub-tasks when parts of the handover need a separate owner or a clear next step.

Agree what “ready to hand over” means before the final review. The recipient may need an editable document rather than only a preview, or a specific size rather than whichever export was easiest to produce. Put that expectation in the task description so the final check has something concrete to compare.

1. List the expected outputs and usable formats.
2. Confirm the quantity and any agreed exclusions.
3. Identify the person who will receive and review each output.

Connect the final file to a clear review decision

A file called final-v4 does not explain whether somebody approved it. Attach or link the relevant output alongside the task discussion and record which version the reviewer considered. If the decision came through another channel, add a factual summary and the appropriate reference, rather than treating silence as agreement.

A useful update is specific: “Presentation viewing copy dated 22 October reviewed; headline and closing slide confirmed. Editable file attached.” This is an illustrative note, not a customer story. If a change is still requested, identify it and leave the corresponding work in an honest status, such as In review, until the team’s agreed completion condition is met.

A discussion entry is a working record. It does not automatically provide a contractual signature or replace an acceptance process required by your agreement. Choose the process appropriate to the engagement, and keep the project record accurate about what has actually happened.

Check access from the receiving person’s point of view

An organised handover is not useful if the intended recipient cannot find the project. Ask the workspace owner to review the person’s workspace and project access in People & groups. In besteam, access to a project covers the tasks, sub-tasks, mini-tasks, discussions and files inside that project. Keep sensitive internal work in a separate project with the appropriate people.

Before including a client or outside collaborator, review the whole project, not just the one task you intend to share. Separate financial permissions remain owner-managed. A person helping to receive files or update delivery quantities does not need access to service prices simply to contribute to the handover.

For files linked from another service, check the link’s access as well. Being able to open a besteam project does not grant access to a separate storage account. Use the intended recipient’s ordinary review process to confirm the file is usable, without circulating passwords or other credentials in a task discussion.

1. Confirm the recipient has the correct project access.
2. Review other content in that project before sharing it.
3. Check external file links and formats separately.

Give unfinished work a named next step

Handing over a deliverable does not make every related decision disappear. Record anything still open as an actionable task or sub-task: what is needed, who will do it and when the next step is expected. A note saying “small fixes later” gives the next person very little to work with.

Consider a simple example: a team has delivered a twenty-slide presentation, but the client’s final contact details are still missing. The handover should identify the delivered version and explain that the contact slide needs those details. Assign the follow-up to the person who can obtain the information, and keep the remaining work visible rather than implying the file is unconditionally finished.

Use the task’s planned end date for the commitment and mark the work completed when its agreed condition is met. Keep final delivery, acceptance and follow-up distinct in your explanation if they happened at different times. This gives a new colleague enough context to continue without replaying the entire project.

Close the delivery check before reviewing the bill

Before the financial review, check that the recorded kind of work and quantity match the output. Twenty slides and six images are different services, not one interchangeable total. If parent and child tasks describe the same deliverable, review where the quantity is recorded so it is not treated as several separate outputs.

In besteam, authorised financial users can review completed, eligible work in a billing estimate before preparing an invoice. Billing date follows actual completion unless an authorised person chooses an override. A delivery confirmation by itself does not prove a particular charge, tax treatment or payment is correct; review those through the agreed financial process.

Finish with a brief handover note that links the pieces together. A teammate should be able to identify the final version, recorded review decision, delivered quantity and outstanding action without asking who last touched the project. Reuse the checklist below on the next engagement and remove steps that do not support a real decision.

1. Final deliverables and usable formats are attached or linked.
2. The reviewed version and actual decision are recorded.
3. The delivered kind of work and quantity are accurate.
4. The receiving people have the appropriate project and external-link access.
5. Each outstanding action has a responsible person and an agreed next step.
6. The authorised billing person can review the eligible work separately.