Why this decision matters
Deployment and handover records determine whether a client can reproduce the environment, recover services, diagnose issues, update configuration and maintain the system.
A runnable application is only one part of delivery; enterprise work also needs defined code scope, dependency versions, configuration, migration, monitoring, backup and recovery procedures.
Conditions to confirm before development
- Repository, branch or version and reproducible build method
- Runtime dependencies, configuration and secret-management method
- Database, model, file and data migration or backup steps
- Start, stop, monitoring, troubleshooting, upgrade and rollback procedures
Implementation and delivery approach
Maintain deployment checklists and change records during development, then reproduce the installation in the handover environment instead of writing documents from memory at the end.
A reviewer other than the original developer should be able to install, start, check and roll back the system by following the materials.
Acceptance boundary
Handover depends on contracted scope and third-party licensing. Cloud accounts, commercial models, client infrastructure and ongoing operations need explicit ownership.