Write for the person receiving the work
A handover needs to help someone act. Start with who the client or supplier is, what the agreement is for, which documents apply and who is responsible. A summary is useful background; what matters is what they have to do.
Put the exceptions first
People fall back on habits. Call out what’s different about this contract: approval before replacing key people, a different reporting rhythm, a special acceptance step, a limit on extra hours. Explain what they mean in practice.
Separate three kinds of duty
Fixed dates need a date and an owner. Recurring duties need a schedule and a record of each time they’re done. Duties that start “if” something happens need a trigger and someone who will notice it. Mixing them is how things get missed.
Keep open questions open
Don’t hand over a polished summary that hides uncertainty. Mark the unclear clause, the missing appendix or the duty without an owner, and say who will resolve it.
Make the commitments theirs
In ContractSorted, assign each commitment to the person delivering it. They see it on their own dashboard, get the reminders and record when it’s done. Comments on the commitment keep questions next to the clause.
Plan for change
People move on and contracts change. When an owner changes, reassign their commitments in one go. When a letter or amendment arrives, add it to the contract and check what it changes before the team relies on the old version.
WORK THROUGH IT
Your checklist
Adapt it to your contracts. Or let ContractSorted do most of it: start free.