SmoothHandoff/Guides
The Complete Web Project Handoff Checklist
Most web project handoffs fail not because the work is bad, but because the delivery is disorganised. Clients can't find their credentials. Files disappear. Sign-off never happens formally. This checklist covers everything you need to deliver a professional, watertight handoff — every time.
Why web project handoffs go wrong
After months of design and development work, the handoff is often treated as an afterthought. The agency sends a few emails with passwords attached, uploads files to a shared Dropbox, and considers the job done.
The client has no idea how to find anything. Six months later they call asking for "the login to the website thing." You've already deleted the project from your mind.
A structured handoff process solves this permanently. It protects you legally, reduces post-launch support calls, and — most importantly — leaves the client with a genuinely positive final impression of working with you.
The complete handoff checklist
1. Credentials
- Hosting account login (cPanel, Kinsta, WP Engine, etc.)
- Domain registrar login (Namecheap, GoDaddy, Porkbun, etc.)
- CMS admin credentials (WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, etc.)
- Email provider access (Google Workspace, Zoho, etc.)
- DNS management access if separate from registrar
- Third-party service logins (Mailchimp, Analytics, payment gateways)
- API keys and environment variables for any integrations
- SSL certificate details if manually managed
2. Files & Assets
- Design source files (Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch, Photoshop)
- Exported and optimised images at full resolution
- Brand assets (logos in SVG, PNG, and print-ready formats)
- Typography files or font licence details
- Icon sets or illustration packs used on the site
- Raw photography or video if applicable
- Any custom code libraries or plugins purchased
3. Documentation
- Site architecture overview (page structure, navigation logic)
- CMS editor guide (how to add pages, posts, products)
- Third-party integrations documented (what connects to what)
- Maintenance schedule (backups, plugin updates, renewals)
- Hosting and domain renewal dates and costs
- Contact details for all third-party providers
4. Client Training
- Recorded walkthrough of the CMS back-end
- Written step-by-step guide for common tasks
- Video tutorials for anything complex (e-commerce, forms, etc.)
- Explanation of what the client should vs. shouldn't change themselves
- Contact process for future support requests
5. Formal Sign-off
- Deliverables list agreed with client during scoping
- Written (or digital) approval on each deliverable
- Timestamp or date on final approval
- Confirmation that all revisions in scope have been completed
- Written acknowledgement that project is accepted as complete
6. Final Invoice & Wrap-up
- Final invoice sent and paid before credentials handed over
- Retention period for support clearly defined in writing
- Project archived internally with all assets backed up
- Client contact details updated in your CRM
- Testimonial or review request sent (while satisfaction is highest)
Common handoff mistakes to avoid
Emailing credentials in plain text
Email is unencrypted and lives in inboxes indefinitely — a breach waiting to happen.
Verbal sign-off ("yeah that looks good")
Clients forget. Disputes happen. Without written approval you have no recourse.
WeTransfer links for file delivery
Free links expire after 7 days. Clients lose access and call you months later.
No training documentation
Without a guide, your client will break things and blame you for it.
Handing over everything at once without organisation
A dump of files and passwords overwhelms clients and creates confusion.
How to systematise your handoff process
Going through this checklist manually for every project is time-consuming and error-prone. The solution is to build a repeatable system — one where the checklist is built into your workflow, not something you remember to do at the end.
Dedicated client handoff tools let you store credentials in an encrypted vault, deliver files through organised folders with secure download links, create deliverable sign-off checklists your clients click through formally, and send invoices — all inside a branded portal your client accesses with one link.
The first time you send a client a clean, professional portal instead of a wall of emails, you'll understand why this matters. They feel the difference immediately.
Turn this checklist into a system
SmoothHandoff gives you a dedicated workspace for every client handoff — credentials, files, sign-offs, invoices, and training in one branded portal.
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