How to conduct a Handover workshop

When?

The handover workshop is conducted when the final designs are ready for development.

Getting Started

Design handover is a process in which a designer shares all implementation details with the development team at the end of each design iteration. This is an important step to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that the final product meets expectations. Developers can start their development work after the handover.

How to?

1. Set clear objectives: Start by setting clear objectives for the handover workshop. This should include the goals of the handover, what is being handed over, who is involved, and what the expected outcomes are.

2. Design Closure

1. Use a design system to define and detail out the design.

2. Bring design to certain maturity and have closure in agreement with all stakeholders.

3. The final version of design should be in a sharable format.

3. Compile

1. Compile all working files for handover.

2. Final design can be a prototype based on a design system, graphic assets, content, and references

3. List all user stories or items being worked on.

4. Document all design iterations with the versions and feedback on it.

5. Document any limitations considered during the design process.

6. Include notes from Usability testing and Stakeholder feedback, if available

7. List the design decisions taken through the project if the project ran for multiple months.

8. Note if there was any scope change during design.

9. Make all this material available in a shared location. 

10. Create a handoff companion, which gives all above info as a simple list.

4. Schedule: Schedule a handoff meeting with all required stakeholders from Design and Development teams. Ideally, it should be a face to face meeting; however, it could also be done remotely.

5. Present: Present the handover material in logical steps like:

1. Start with scope

2. Explain the evolution of design

3. Present final design prototype click-through demo

4. Present the list of items being handed over 

6. Check: Clarify all the doubts of the Development team

7. Share: Share the handover material in an email to all participants of the workshop.

8. Evaluate: Evaluate the handover process to determine if the objectives were met and if there are any areas that need improvement for future handovers.

Overall, a successful handover workshop requires good planning, communication, and collaboration among all the stakeholders involved.

Do’s & Don'ts

Do's	Don'ts
Be well prepared. Focus on clear communication. Ensure you resolve all doubts. Use handover tools, if possible. Ensure assets are in the required format. Add links to the references.	Don’t use jargon. Don’t make the handover too long. Don’t have incomplete or unclear documentation. Don’t conduct the handover workshop without a development team.

Templates

• Design Handover Template from Figma Community.

Suggested Tools

Zeplin	MarvelApp	Avocode
Sympli	Mockplus	Figma
GoogleDocs

References 

• A Comprehensive Guide to Executing The Perfect Design-to-Development Handoff from Phase Mag

• How to create a design handoff for developers from UX Design Institute

• Design Handoff – Creating a Better Experience for Designers and Developers from UXPin

• How to Execute the Perfect Design-to-Development Handoff from UI Learn

• The Relationship Between Designers and Developers from UX Magazine

Other Related Best Practices

• Prototyping

• Only for CMS Backend, not seen on UI

Questions

• What is a handover workshop?

• Who does a handover of the design?

• Who is required in a handover workshop?

• Who takes a design handover?

• What should be done during a handover workshop?

• How should a design-to-development workshop be done effectively?