Project handover templates

A project handover document passes a project from one team or person to another. It tells the new owner what has been done, what is left and where everything is kept.

Include project summary and status, completed and open tasks, key contacts and stakeholders, files, accounts and tools, risks and known issues, and next steps and dates. Have the new owner read the handover and list their questions before the previous owner leaves.

Include the current status, open tasks, key contacts, where files and accounts live, known risks and the next steps. Add dates for upcoming deadlines.

Write as if the reader knows nothing about the project. Be specific about links, where passwords are kept and who to ask, and keep it current.

As early as possible, and ideally with an overlap period where both people are available. A live walkthrough makes the document much more useful.

A handover passes ongoing work to a new owner. A closure report summarizes a finished project and what was learned.

Start with Client Handover Pack: Gives a client everything needed to run a finished project alone: access, routine tasks, support and contacts. If that is not the right fit, compare it with Project Handover Document.

The templates here are 6 pages long. Cut any section you do not need; each template explains what its sections are for.

Yes. These project handover templates work in Google Docs and Microsoft Word. All 3 templates are free, with no account or email needed.

Mostly agencies and consultants. The sample text in each one is written for a specific situation, so replace it with your own details.