3 min reading
Sometimes getting a project from another team is like walking into a house right after a tornado. Files scattered, documentation was updated 5 years ago, variable names doing whatever they want… The code runs, but figuring it out? That’s a quest.
A code handover doesn’t have to be a stress test for your team. It can actually be a smooth process, in case you treat it with a bit of care and empathy for whoever comes next.
In this article, we’d like to share a few principles that actually work.
Nobody likes writing docs. But let’s be real: half an hour on a README today can save someone a week tomorrow.
Write down:
You don’t need a 200-page novel. Just enough for the next developer to know where to start.
A handover is the perfect excuse to clean up your commit history (although it should be clean from the very beginning of the project).
Group related changes, drop the obvious junk, and write commit messages so someone six months from now will know what you were doing.
Reading “final-fix-3” is like looking for a recipe in a cookbook where every page is called “Food.”
A classic handover nightmare: critical settings are “somewhere in the cloud” or “I told you in chat once”.
Put everything in .env or config files. Include an .env.example so the next person just fills in their own values and runs the app, without digging through Slack threads from 2021.
Sure, you can hand over the most elegant, genius-level code you’ve ever written… but if no one can understand it, you’re handing over a headache.
Sometimes, a “naive” but readable solution is better. You’re passing on a project, not a puzzle.
If the project has “unspoken” guidelines (like “always use this linter” or “all images go in a CDN folder”), document them.
Verbal agreements in tech last until someone takes a vacation or changes jobs.
Before you hand over the project, try putting yourself in the new developer’s shoes:
If you can confidently say yes, the handover will likely be smooth.
Try to stay in touch for the first period after the handover. Especially when it comes to large, long-running projects — there will almost always be questions that documentation alone can’t answer. If you know the project well, it won’t be hard to spend ten minutes giving a helpful reply to a new dev team.
A good handover isn’t just about the project’s future, it’s also about your reputation. People remember not only what you built, but how you left it.
Our team offers code audits, development services, and more — helping projects stay clean, efficient, and easy to maintain from day one.
Contact us if you want your next handover to be smooth and stress-free!
Contents:
