Build Handover and Ownership Transfer to the Client (Handoff)

Build Handover and Ownership Transfer to the Client (Handoff)

1. 01

   Freeze the build two weeks before the handover date and stop accepting scope changes

   Anything requested after the freeze goes into a phase-two backlog with its own estimate, so the client receives a stable artifact rather than a moving target.

2. 02

   Export the full data model, not just the app shell

   Pull table schemas, field types, relationship maps, and record counts into a document the client can hand to any future developer. A portal built in Noloco on top of Airtable data is only portable if the underlying base structure travels with it.

3. 03

   Document every automation, integration, and credential the app depends on

   List each connected service, the account that owns the connection, and what breaks if that account is deprovisioned. Rotate any API keys that were created under agency accounts into client-owned accounts before transfer.

4. 04

   Run a load and permissions test on the client's own plan tier

   Record counts and user seats often behave differently on a lower tier than the agency's plan. Verify record limits, automation run quotas, and role-based access against the tier the client will actually pay for.

5. 05

   Record a walkthrough covering the three workflows the client will touch weekly

   Keep it under 20 minutes and cover editing records, running the core automation, and inviting a user. Skip feature tours; retention of a handover video drops sharply past the 20-minute mark.

6. 06

   Deliver a written migration path for the two most likely exit scenarios

   State what a move to a conventional build would cost in hours and what data would need re-mapping. Naming the exit cost up front removes the client's fear of lock-in and shortens procurement review.

7. 07

   Set a 30-day support window with a named responder and a defined end date

   After the window closes, unresolved items convert to a paid retainer. Ambiguous support tails are where handoff margin quietly disappears.