What is project handover?

What is project handover?

Project handover is the point in the project management lifecycle when the completed tasks are being transferred to the deliverable owner. It marks the completion of delivery and the start of the closure stage of your project.

Basically, the project goes from the Project Manager to the Operational Manager (sometimes referred to as an Integration Manager). Hence the description of project handover as transition from design to use.

At first sight, this may sound simple enough. However, you should spend time clarifying what this definition means in your particular context.

Be careful. A lack of certainty around the definition can be detrimental to the project’s success. The crucial part is to agree – in advance – how your team and partners understand project handover and when the project is considered to be done. You should also get clear on what is being handed over – ownership, operational responsibility, management, continuity, knowledge, benefits realization or anything else. Make sure the project management plan gives all the answers by outlining everyone’s responsibilities and aligning everyone’s efforts to a common goal.

Moreover, if we view projects from the point of view of benefits delivery, handover is only the start, not the end. A good project handover is when it does what you all agreed it would, and the client gets what they’ve paid for. Here’s an example: projects that deliver a technical solution, but don’t work as intended, are a failure because they simply don’t work for the end users.

Types of project handover

Although the overarching definition is that project handover is the transition of information and responsibility from one to another, project handover may refer to different schemes in different industries and situations.

In construction, it can be the completion of a building or the end of the first year’s warranty period of the building. In IT and software development, project handover might be when members of the project team are no longer involved in the project and you’ve transferred it to another company or a client. Some teams can define it in terms of timing – when all requirements and tasks are signed off as complete. In certain contexts, it might even be when the benefits have been delivered to the end user.

With all this diversity, it’s important to have an agreed position between all parties; otherwise, you’re all aiming for completely different targets.

The stages of project handover

As with all processes, the project handover can be viewed and discussed in terms of phases – before, during, and after. The following model helps us to split the entire process into three stages: pre-handover, handover, and post-handover.

Pre-handover

This is the preparation stage when you specify all details of the project handover. Several steps can be outlined here:

Step 1: Design the transition plan. Poor planning in project management can have damaging results, so divide the handover process into manageable parts and make a checklist of your transition components.

Step 2: Clarify everyone’s roles in the project handover process, including the ones who will be involved in the process from the recipient side.

Step 3: Set a deadline when the handover should be completed and communicate it to all parties involved.

Step 4: Create a communication plan that outlines who communicates which information to whom and when.

Step 4: Agree upon deliverables required at handover and design end-of-job documentation. Note that the end-of-job documentation needs to be meaningful and consistent to the owner.

Handover

Time for the project handover.

Step 1: Conduct a handover meeting to discuss any necessary details and updates after the first stage is completed. Define what is actually handed over.

Step 2: Have knowledge-sharing sessions. Knowledge shouldn’t be transferred during lunch breaks; you need pre-planned meetings to answer questions and provide clarifications as needed.

Step 3: Transfer the ownership. Provide access to documentation and all information needed, including accounts, credentials, requirements, as well as third-party services and tools.

Step 4: Run a quality check before you say, “We’re done.”

Step 5: Project handover sign-off. Congratulations! It’s time for handshakes and signatures!

Post-handover

Post-handover is the follow-up or the support stage to make sure the end user has received all deliverables. The project is now in a live setting. At this stage, you sustain what you’ve created by making sure all snags are taken care of. As a rule, this stage stretches from one to six months.

Step 1: Carry out a project performance review.

Step 2: Support the end user. This can be either on-site or off-site support, depending on the industry you’re operating in or the type of project you’ve delivered.

Step 3: Do monitoring and course-correcting. Explain what the flow is and make suggestions of how people should make use of it. If any issues pop up after observations, update documentation as needed.

Step 4: Collect stakeholders’ feedback. Keep this data organized; you’ll surely need to consult it sooner or later.