A handover should let a new team understand, run and operate the product. Receiving a source archive is not the same as demonstrating operational independence.
Rehearse the takeover
For a fictional booking platform, ask the incoming team to set up a clean environment using test data. Confirm that instructions produce a build and identify external dependencies. Transfer secrets through an appropriate channel rather than committing them to make setup easier.
| Area | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| Source | Repository history and identifiable deployed revision |
| Deployment | Repeatable build and rollback exercise |
| Data | Documented model, backup and restore procedure |
| Vendors | Account ownership and dependency inventory |
| Operations | Known incidents, alerts and escalation contacts |
Distinguish access from ownership
A working login does not establish control over billing, account recovery or service renewal. Verify ownership without collecting passwords in a shared handover document. Plan removal of obsolete access after the transition.
Should the new team rewrite first?
Not by default. Identify delivery blockers, data risks and dependencies on individual knowledge. Documentation or a restore rehearsal may reduce more risk than replacing the framework. Assess a rewrite against observed constraints and the cost of maintaining two implementations during migration. Preserve a route back to the running service while the incoming team learns how it behaves.
A distributed operating team
Run the handover once without the original developer present. Have another operator locate the deployment revision and recovery instructions. Record questions that required live help; those are concrete gaps to resolve before changing support ownership across time zones.
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A SaaS is a system: data, users, permissions, billing and operations. Its architecture should support the business model.
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