A supplier handover delivers files but no working build

What to change

Ask for a reproducible publishing demonstration from the delivered materials. The handover should identify required tools, configuration locations and non-secret setup values, with protected credentials handled through the approved account process. Have the incoming maintainer follow the instructions and compare representative output with the live site. This turns possession of files into usable operational capability and exposes missing dependencies before the departing supplier is no longer available to explain them.

A worked example

Illustrative example

Illustrative test: A clean authorised setup produces the homepage, a guide and a resource directory.

How to check the result

The delivered materials can reproduce the maintained website's intended output.

A mistake to avoid

A compressed folder is not by itself a maintainable handover.

Your action checklist

Use these checks to prepare a discussion with your team or supplier. Tick a check when you have recorded the decision or evidence, rather than when a feature has simply been promised.

Decisions to recordInventory the delivered source and documented prerequisites.Have the incoming maintainer run the approved build process.Compare representative generated routes with the expected release.

Evidence, open questions and decisionsNext action and responsible role

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