The client accepts your proposal, and the team is ready to begin. But the person doing the work has not read every email and does not know exactly what you promised. Prepare a short handoff that explains the deliverable, scope, deadline, and anything still needed for the first task.
Chill&AutomateUpdated September 27, 2026
untangle → move on
✓
When this guide helps
Use this guide if any of these situations sound familiar:
Sales agrees on the project, but delivery has to ask the client for the same details again.
The agreement is split between a proposal and email messages, with no clear final version.
You are handing work to a teammate or contractor and want to prevent work outside the agreement.
Turn the accepted proposal into a handoff for a named person. See what to write, how to describe the first deliverable, and how to deal with missing materials before work begins.
The approach
Attach a short set of instructions to the proposal the client accepted: what to deliver, what is outside the agreed price, where to start, and what is still missing. The colleague taking over opens the files and confirms they understand the first task and can do it. Forwarding an email alone does not mean they have accepted the work.
Check off steps as you finish them. Progress stays in this browser; reset it below when you start again.
What belongs in the handover
Start with the result the client bought. Add boundaries: what is included, excluded or awaiting a decision. Link the accepted proposal rather than loosely paraphrasing prices or commitments. Then name the first deliverable, its receiver and a date the team actually agreed to.
Separate client roles: decision maker, material supplier and deliverable receiver. In a small business these may be one person. Share credentials through a password manager or tool invitation; the brief only records who manages access.
A created project still needs an owner
Sales completes its step by creating the brief and requesting acceptance. The delivery owner opens the approved materials, identifies blocking gaps and responds accepted or needs information. A won deal in the CRM does not automatically make the project ready.
If the client changes scope after handover, record a new version and its effect on deliverables or timing. Do not silently overwrite the brief so the team can no longer reconstruct what it started from.
Filled example
Fictional example to explain the process, not a real client record.
Example: a studio accepts a five-page website job. Brief v1 links proposal P-01 v3 and names a site outline as the first deliverable. Brand artwork can wait, but source-content access is missing. The receiver accepts outline preparation and explicitly keeps content migration blocked.
Job and accepted proposal version
JOB-01; accepted proposal P-01 v3 retained with the project
Outcome, scope and exclusions
Design five website pages and migrate supplied content. New copywriting is excluded.
First deliverable, receiver and date
Site outline for the client; Taylor prepares it by October 2, 2026.
Materials, references and access owner
Proposal accessible. Taylor cannot access the old content yet; coordinator Alex requests access from the client.
Blocking and nonblocking gaps
Blocked: content migration. Ready: outline based on the agreed scope. Brand artwork is needed before visual design.
Receiving owner, decision and date
Taylor, September 28: accept outline preparation; do not start migration. Alex checks access September 29 at 10:00 a.m.
Take the worksheet with you
A handover brief with scope, first deliverable and receiver acceptance.
Expand the blank template below, select the text, and paste it into your document. Replace the brackets with your own information, using the filled example above for guidance. Keep a separate copy for each job. You can also download the text. No sign-up required.
Hand over one concise brief with links to the materials. Google Docs or Word is enough when ownership and dates live in a shared register. Use Trello when several people need a visible preparation queue.
Prices and terms checked September 27, 2026, in the currency shown by the vendor. Quotes may vary by country; confirm your currency, tax and commitment before buying. Example budgets exclude any additional tax.
Budget for this job
An existing document account or Trello Free can cover the basics without another subscription. Do not buy Pipedrive Premium solely for a brief; assess it for the entire sales process using the three-seat price above.
Hand over the accepted proposal, first task, materials, and client contact. Record anything still undecided so the teammate does not have to guess.
What can go wrong
A won deal in a CRM records an accepted sale. It does not establish that a teammate has the files needed to start. Check those separately.
✓
How to check it works
The receiving teammate can explain the first deliverable, its recipient, and its due date. They can open the needed files and flag problems before starting.
Where to start today
Use your latest accepted proposal to fill in the handoff sheet. Review it with the person doing the first task and resolve missing details before handing it over.