Handover questions that show whether the client's team can take over
Ask the client's developers how ready the code, documentation and access were, and what they still need to run the project alone. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What developer handover questions tell you
Developer handover survey questions ask the client's developers how taking over your code went: whether it ran locally on the first try, what held up the handover, what they wanted written down and how confident they are maintaining it alone. A handover that looks complete from the agency side can leave the client's team stuck for weeks.
Ask two to four weeks after the handover, once the team has shipped its first change, and ask the bug count at the end of the first month. Pick five or six questions: the readiness rating, the grid, the local run check and the open question on documentation. Send the link to the developers directly, since they know the answers better than the project sponsor.
Each written answer gets a type such as a bug or a question, a theme and a sentiment, and each response an urgency. On every plan, a workflow can send answers to Jira or Linear, so a missing piece of documentation becomes a ticket.
- Questions
- 13
- Best asked
- Two to four weeks after the handover
- Industry
- Agencies
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 13 developer handover questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How ready the handover was
Start with readiness and the grid, then the facts behind them: what you handed over, whether there was a walkthrough and what held things up.
- 01Stars
How ready was the code when we handed it over?
A star rating for how ready the code was at handover. Ask the developers who took it over, since a project sponsor rarely sees the code.
- 02Matrix
Rate each part of the handover
Rates the code, documentation, walkthrough and access in one grid. The heat map shows which part of your handover checklist needs work.
- 03Yes / No
Could your team run the project locally on the first try?
Asks whether the team could run the project locally on the first try. A No usually means a missing step in the setup notes, so ask which one.
- 04Multiple choice
What held up the handover most?
Names the single biggest holdup, from missing documentation to hosting setup. Results shows each share across projects, which tells you what to fix in your process.
- 08Multiple choice
What did we hand over?
Lets the client tick everything they received. Compare the answers with your own checklist; a gap between the two is worth a quick call.
- 09Yes / No
Was there a walkthrough session with your developers?
A yes or no on whether there was a walkthrough with the developers. Select Yes in Results, then No, to compare the confidence scores of the two groups.
What the team wanted to know
The open questions show what to write down and teach before the next handover, and the effort score shows whether help stayed easy to reach.
- 05Text
What would your developers have wanted written down?
The open question your next README should answer. Each answer comes with a theme, so recurring gaps such as environment setup stand out.
- 12Text
What would your team need to take this further on its own?
Asks what the team needs to take the project further alone. These answers often point to training or a support package you can offer.
- 10Customer effort
How easy is it to reach us with a question after handover?
A customer effort score for reaching you with a question after handover. Results shows the share who found it easy, which matters most in the first month.
Life after handover
Measure how quickly the team shipped, how many bugs they found and who owns the project now, so you can show the handover worked.
- 06Ruler
How many days until your team shipped their first change?
How many days until the client's team shipped their first change, on a ruler. Results shows the median, a fair measure of how usable the handover was.
- 07Big scale
How confident is your team maintaining this on its own?
How confident the team is maintaining the project alone, on a scale of 1 to 10. A low average is a reason to offer a support period before you close the project.
- 11Dropdown
Who maintains the project now?
Who maintains the project now, from an in house team to another agency. When the answer is Nobody yet, plan a follow up before the project goes stale.
- 13Number
How many bugs did you find in the first month?
How many bugs the team found in the first month. Ask it at the end of that month, and compare the median across projects to track the quality of what you ship.
Tips for asking about developer handover
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask the developers directly
Send the survey to the people who work in the code. A project sponsor can't tell you whether the setup notes worked.
- 02
Wait for the first change
Ask two to four weeks after handover, once the team has shipped something, so the answers come from real use.
- 03
Keep a handover checklist
Compare what clients say they received with your own checklist, and add whatever keeps coming up in the open answers.
- 04
Offer support where confidence is low
When confidence scores are low, offer a short support period or a second walkthrough before the project closes.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about developer handover
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Two to four weeks after handover, once the client's team has shipped a change. Ask about bugs at the end of the first month in a second short survey.
The developers who took over the code. Send the survey link to them directly, since the project sponsor rarely knows how the setup went.
Five or six. Start with the readiness rating and the grid, add whether the project ran locally and end with what the developers wanted written down.
Yes, on every plan. A workflow can also post answers to Slack or Microsoft Teams or call a webhook.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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