# Client handover

A client handover is one row per thing that has to move: an account, an asset, a data export, a document, an access right, a relationship, an obligation. Each row says where it actually lives, who could reach it before and who can reach it after, whether ownership moved or only access, and who on the receiving side confirmed it.

The verification column is what makes it a handover rather than a list. An item ticked by the person leaving is a claim; an item confirmed by the person arriving is a fact.

## How to use it

1. Copy this file, or the CSV version if you would rather work in a sheet.
2. List by category first, so a whole class of thing cannot be forgotten.
3. Name items exactly, with identifiers, not by description.
4. Have the receiving side verify each item, and record who and when.
5. Distinguish ownership transferred from access granted.
6. Write the risk if missed on every row, so the list can be prioritised.
7. Keep the notes: the reasons behind decisions are the part that cannot be recovered.

## The columns

**Item** (Text). The specific thing being handed over, named exactly: an ad account by its identifier, a document by its title, a rule by its name. Categories are not items.

**Category** (Text). What kind of thing it is: an account, an asset, data, a document, an access right, a relationship, or an obligation. Grouping is what stops a handover missing a whole class of thing.

**Where it lives** (Text). The system, folder or platform it is actually in, with enough detail that somebody could find it without asking. A handover that depends on asking has not happened.

**Access before** (Text). Who could reach it before the handover. It matters because the people who lose access are the ones who will be asked for help in the first month.

**Access after** (Text). Who can reach it afterwards, by name. At least two current people for anything the business depends on, or the handover has created a new single point of failure.

**Ownership transferred** (Text). Whether ownership moved or only access was granted. The two are frequently confused, and the difference surfaces when the original owner's account is closed.

**Verified by** (Text). The person on the receiving side who confirmed they can actually reach it, by name. Not the person handing it over: a handover confirmed only by the leaver is not confirmed.

**Verified on** (Date (YYYY-MM-DD)). The day it was confirmed from the receiving side. Access granted in advance can lapse before the handover completes, so the date matters.

**Risk if missed** (Text). What breaks if this is forgotten, in one line. It is what turns a long list into a prioritised one on the week everybody runs out of time.

**Outstanding** (Text). What is still to be done on this item, and by whom. Most handovers are mostly complete, and this column is where the remainder lives instead of in somebody's memory.

**Evidence** (Text). What shows the transfer happened: a screenshot of the permission, a confirmation message, an export delivered. A tick is a claim; evidence is a record.

**Status** (Text). Not started, transferred, or verified. Three values, and verified is the only one that means finished.

**Notes** (Text). What the receiving side needs and cannot infer: why a structure is the way it is, a supplier's quirk, an obligation with a date, a decision that looks wrong and is not.

## The client handover

| Item | Category | Where it lives | Access before | Access after | Ownership transferred | Verified by | Verified on | Risk if missed | Outstanding | Evidence | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |

## Before you commit it

- Items are listed by category, so no whole class is forgotten.
- Every item is named exactly, with an identifier where it has one.
- Every row was verified by somebody on the receiving side, with a date.
- Ownership transferred is distinguished from access granted.
- Nothing the business depends on is left with only one person able to reach it.
- Every row has a risk-if-missed line.
- The notes carry the reasons behind decisions, not only the facts.