Campaigns are running, the website is live and the assets are published. Then something changes: a colleague leaves, the team grows or another partner takes over.
- Who can access the accounts?
- Where are the editable files?
- Who renews the domain?
Clarifying these things can happen while the collaboration is going well, with no plan to change. It gives you a picture of the resources the business relies on and how it can keep using them.
These questions are best resolved while the collaboration is going well. The business needs continuity, and the agency needs clearly defined responsibilities and deliverables.
“Yours” can mean several things: administrative access, a delivered file, permission to use an asset or the ability to continue the project. Check each separately.
Four things to clarify
What does “yours” actually mean?
Agree this inventory together. The handover depends on the contract and relevant licenses.
ACCESS
Who administers the account and can restore access?
FILES
What exports and editable sources are handed over?
USE
Under what conditions can the materials and their components be used?
CONTINUITY
What documentation, subscriptions and services are still required?
You can have a final PDF without the file from which it was made. You can have access to the website, but not to the service that hosts it. You can get an editable project that uses a font for which the next team must obtain their own license.
None of these situations on its own means the collaboration was handled badly. What matters is what was agreed, what dependencies exist and whether they are explained before they become a problem.
A simple inventory changes the conversation
The table below is an organizing model. It does not assume every project includes all these elements or that every platform allows the same kinds of transfer.
| Element | What needs to be clarified | How to Check |
|---|---|---|
| Domain and hosting | Holder, administrators, renewal and recovery | The designated person can administer the service |
| Advertising accounts | Administrators, partners and billing | Agreed access works in the correct account |
| Analysis and measurement | Properties, configurations and responsibility | The team can access the data and documentation |
| Creative materials | Exports, editable source files and included elements | Files open and can be used in accordance with the agreement |
| Websites and integrations | Code or theme, subscriptions and dependencies | There is a clear procedure for continuation and recovery |
| Data and reports | What is stored, who has access and what can be exported | The agreed exports are legible and explained |
A simple inventory can record the resource, identifier, owner, access level, documentation location and license status. Passwords do not belong in that document. Grant access through each service’s appropriate mechanisms.
Agency access and business control
In a setup suited to the project, the people the client designates can exercise the agreed control, and the agency receives the permissions its work requires. We avoid situations where the only route to access depends on a former colleague or a personal account that can no longer be recovered.
Platforms sometimes use confusing terms. In Google Ads, “ownership” at the manager-account level describes administrative privileges. Google states that these do not remove the client’s administrative rights or ownership of account data. The technical term must be understood in the context of the platform. Google Ads: manager account ownership
This setting does not automatically answer questions about the rights to photographs, code or creative materials. For those, we check the applicable agreements and licenses.
“Files included” needs a precise meaning
Consider two fictional visual identity proposals. One includes usable logo formats, a guide and final exports. The other also includes organized source files and a handover session. Both may meet real needs, but the deliverables differ.
A final export may be sufficient for publication. An editable file becomes relevant if you want further adaptations. To use it, the right application, fonts, related images and explanations about the structure may be required.
Distinguish final deliverables from internal explorations, rejected versions, the agency’s general tools and third-party assets. Do not assume everything is transferred or that a provider’s subscription comes with the project.
A handover is complete when the work can be used
A link sent by email may expire. An archive may contain files without clear names. An export may omit the information that the next team needs.
A useful handover includes the agreed inventory, clearly named files and checks that they can be opened or accessed. For a website, test the restoration procedure in an appropriate environment where relevant. For a campaign, verify access to the correct account and the record of previous decisions.
We also establish who keeps the subscriptions, what happens when they end and which activities need separate support. That makes the cost of continuing the project easier to anticipate.
How we approach this clarity at NOT MORE.
In the collaboration proposal, we define the deliverables and responsibilities. We discuss what the client’s team needs to be able to use, what access is needed and what depends on other services or providers.
A healthy partnership helps the client understand the project and make informed decisions. Documentation and handover reduce repeated questions and make continuity easier.
Three questions before signing
- What accounts and files will I be able to manage or use at the end?
- What licenses, subscriptions and services are still required?
- How do we verify that the handover matches what we agreed?
What must your team be able to manage?
Tell us what you want to build and what you need to use later. We’ll discuss the access, deliverables and dependencies worth spelling out in the proposal.
Handover should make continued work possible
When a project includes software, integrations, automations or processes, handover needs to cover those components too. We specify the supplied code and files, configurations, documentation, access, licenses and dependencies on external tools. Rights and conditions of use are agreed explicitly; different components can have different terms.
At NOT MORE., we check the agreed deliverables and explain who can manage the solution afterward. Support, monitoring and maintenance can continue under an agreement or pass to a designated team. A lasting partnership depends on usefulness and trust, including a handover that helps the client understand what they use.