Freelance & BusinessAgency Handover

Professional Technical Project Handover & Credential Matrix Template

Ensure seamless client offboarding with environment variables, architecture diagrams, DNS records, and deployment runbooks.

client-project-handover-documentation.md•76 lines•479 words
# TECHNICAL PROJECT HANDOVER & TRANSITION RUNBOOK

**Project Name:** Customer Web Application & API Portal  
**Client Organization:** Acme Innovations Inc.  
**Delivered By:** Horizon Engineering Consulting LLC  
**Handover Date:** November 6, 2026  
**Primary Client Technical Contact:** Alex Mercer ([email protected])  

---

### 1. REPOSITORY & CODEBASE ARCHITECTURE
- **GitHub Repository:** `https://github.com/acme-org/client-portal` (Transferred to Client Org)
- **Primary Branch:** `main` (Protected branch requiring 1 pull request review)
- **Framework & Runtime:** Next.js 14 (App Router), React 18, Node.js 20 LTS
- **Build Command:** `npm run build`
- **Unit Test Command:** `npm run test` (Coverage: 84.2%)

---

### 2. HOSTING & INFRASTRUCTURE MATRIX

| Service / Resource | Provider | Account / Dashboard URL | Ownership Status |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :---: |
| **Web Hosting & CDN** | Cloudflare Pages | [dash.cloudflare.com](https://dash.cloudflare.com) | Transferred to Client |
| **Relational Database** | AWS RDS (PostgreSQL 16) | [aws.amazon.com/console](https://aws.amazon.com) | Client AWS Account |
| **Transactional Email** | Resend / SendGrid | [resend.com/overview](https://resend.com) | Client API Key |
| **Payment Gateway** | Stripe (Live & Test) | [dashboard.stripe.com](https://stripe.com) | Client Ownership |

---

### 3. MANDATORY ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

| Variable Key | Purpose & Description | Example Format |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| `DATABASE_URL` | PostgreSQL pooled connection string | `postgresql://user:[email protected]/db` |
| `NEXTAUTH_SECRET` | 32-byte cryptographic JWT session salt | `openssl rand -base64 32` generated string |
| `STRIPE_SECRET_KEY` | Stripe live API secret token | `sk_live_51M0...` |
| `STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET` | HMAC secret to verify webhook authenticity | `whsec_...` |

*(Note: Actual production secret values have been transferred via 1Password / Bitwarden secure share link).*

---

### 4. DEPLOYMENT & CI/CD RUNBOOK
1. **Automated Deployments:** Pushing commits to the `main` branch automatically triggers GitHub Actions workflow `.github/workflows/deploy.yml`.
2. **Manual Rollback:** If a deployment fails, visit Cloudflare Pages > Deployments > Select previous successful build > Click "Rollback to this deployment".
3. **Database Migrations:** Migrations execute via Prisma: `npx prisma migrate deploy` prior to container boot.

---

### 5. DNS & DOMAIN CONFIGURATION

| Type | Name / Host | Target / Value | Proxy Status |
| :---: | :---: | :--- | :---: |
| **CNAME** | `@` (root) | `custom.docswift.pages.dev` | Proxied (Orange Cloud) |
| **CNAME** | `www` | `docswift.xyz` | Proxied |
| **TXT** | `@` | `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all` | DNS Only |

---

### 6. WARRANTY & POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT
- **Included Bug Warranty Period:** Thirty (30) calendar days from handover date (expiring December 6, 2026).
- **Scope of Warranty:** Covers defects or broken functionality diverging from agreed Statement of Work (SOW).
- **Ongoing Support Option:** Billed under retainer at **$135/hour** with 4-hour SLA response window.

---

### ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT & HANDOVER SIGN-OFF

**CLIENT (Acme Innovations Inc.):**  
Signature: ___________________________ Date: ________________  
Name: Alex Mercer, VP of Technology  

**CONSULTANT (Horizon Engineering):**  
Signature: ___________________________ Date: ________________  
Name: Jordan Lee, Principal Consultant
💡 Ready to customize? Copy and paste directly into your preferred text editor or IDE.Open in DocSwift Tool

How to Use & Customize This Template

1

Transfer Cloud & Repository Ownership

Transfer repository admin rights on GitHub and invite client as Billing Owner on AWS/Cloudflare.

2

Transmit Secrets Securely

Never paste production database passwords in plain text; use encrypted password managers (1Password / Bitwarden).

3

Conduct Live Walkthrough & Countersign

Host a 45-minute technical recording walking client engineers through deployments, then obtain sign-off.

Pro Formatting & Best Practice Tips

  • A professional handover document eliminates endless post-launch support requests and guarantees final invoice payment.
  • Always specify the exact expiration date for your included 30-day bug warranty period.
  • Document manual rollback procedures in Section 4 so the client can recover from outages without calling you in an emergency.

Recommended DocSwift Tools for This Workflow

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is an explicit handover document critical for agencies and freelancers?

It marks the formal legal boundary between project implementation and ongoing maintenance. Without it, clients assume the freelancer provides indefinite free 24/7 technical support.

How should production API secrets be delivered?

Deliver secrets via end-to-end encrypted sharing tools like 1Password, Bitwarden Send, or HashiCorp Vault. Never send credentials over unencrypted email or Slack.