Building a handoff package people can trust
A handoff succeeds when the recipient can identify the approved output, open the source material, understand the remaining decisions, and know who owns the next step.
The handoff standard
Do not transfer the entire working folder and call it a package. A useful handoff is a curated set of outputs and context that stands on its own. The recipient should not need private chat history or a meeting with the project creator to understand it.
Open it in a clean location without relying on your recent files, local fonts, or undocumented tools.
Package contents
- Approved outputs
- The exact files intended for publication, use, import, or distribution.
- Editable sources
- Only the source files needed for future changes, with required tool and dependency notes.
- Package index
- A plain-language map of every delivered file and its purpose.
- Decision record
- Material choices that explain the final result or constrain future edits.
- Open items
- Named decisions or tasks with an owner and due date.
Write the package index
Place handoff-package-index.md at the root. List each deliverable, its status, the application needed to open it, and any operational note. State which file is authoritative when several formats represent the same content.
community-handbook-v05-approved.pdf
Purpose: publication copy
Status: approved
Use: distribute this file
Source: source/handbook-source-v05.docxVerify the package
- Confirm filenames and paths match the index.
- Open every final deliverable.
- Check that linked assets are included or intentionally external.
- Test source files on a clean environment when possible.
- Confirm that secrets, private notes, and temporary exports are absent.
- Record the final package date and approver.
Make open decisions visible
Do not hide incomplete work inside a confident-looking final package. List each open item, its impact, owner, and expected resolution date. If there are no open items, say so explicitly.
Finish the transfer
Ask the recipient to confirm access, open the package, and identify the primary deliverable. Record the transfer date, then move the approved package into the archive without rewriting it in place.