CMS project handovers transfer full administrative ownership, documentation, and operational access from our Technology department to your team once final staging sign-off is complete. This process marks the conclusion of active development and moves your website into production and independent management.
Handover sequence
The handover process follows an orderly, multi-stage schedule conducted during our core studio hours (Monday to Thursday, 09:00–17:00 GMT).
1. Pre-handover staging audit: The Technology department carries out a final sweep on the staging server. This includes checking CMS collection structures, responsive breakpoints, editorial field configurations, form routing, and asset links. 2. Settlement and administrative clearance: Operations & Client Services confirms that all milestones and account balances are fully settled. Deposits are non-refundable once your production slot is held. Before work begins, sums not yet earned are refunded pro rata; after work begins, completed work and booked time are charged. Defects are fixed free of charge within the acceptance window. The full terms are on the Refund Policy page of the main site. 3. Access transfer and credential provisioning: We invite your nominated internal users into the CMS workspace with primary administrator permissions. Once ownership transfers, studio access is either downgraded to an external collaborator seat or removed entirely, depending on your retained support level. 4. Domain pointing and live deployment: Our engineers update domain DNS records or guide your IT team through the cutover to point your live URL to the CMS hosting environment. 5. Post-launch smoke test and documentation dispatch: We verify SSL certificate installation, analytics tracking scripts, and form delivery on the live domain, then issue your CMS operational handover guide.
Departmental responsibilities
A structured handover divides tasks across our three studio disciplines to ensure nothing is missed:
* Technology: Manages DNS cutover, database migration, CMS workspace ownership transfer, custom code review, and delivery of core technical documentation. * Creative: Supplies the finalised digital style guide, web-optimised design assets, typography licenses or references, and original vector files. * Operations & Client Services: Coordinates handover scheduling, confirms commercial sign-offs, and provides account closure documentation through the portal.
What you must supply
To prevent launch delays, your team must prepare and supply the following items prior to the scheduled handover date:
* Nominated CMS owner details: The full name and dedicated organisational email address of the person who will hold primary super-administrator rights. * DNS / Registrar access: Direct access to your domain provider (e.g., Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy) or confirmation that your network team will be available during studio hours to apply specified A and CNAME records. * Third-party credentials: Production API keys for external services such as email marketing integrations, CRM webhooks, and analytics properties. * Written content sign-off: Formal confirmation that all copy, imagery, and regulatory disclosures staged in the CMS are approved for public release.
Common failure cases and remedies
* Domain propagation delays: If external DNS records are managed by a third-party corporate IT department, misconfigured records can stall launch. We provide an exact DNS manifest at least 48 hours prior to launch to give your team sufficient time to schedule the update. * Unclaimed administrator invites: CMS platform invites often expire after 24 to 72 hours. Ensure your nominated administrator checks their inbox and accepts the transfer promptly during the cutover window. * Orphaned media files: Adding large raw media files directly to the CMS after handover can degrade site performance. Our documentation outlines strict media sizing rules to prevent layout shifts or slow page loads. * Outstanding invoices: As technical transfers represent the final studio deliverable, handovers will not initiate if outstanding balances remain unresolved with Operations & Client Services.
Post-handover support
Following live deployment, any unexpected technical anomalies directly related to our scope of work should be reported immediately. All communications must run through the Ask Xylo chat on this portal. Our first reply target is within 24 hours during working days (Monday to Thursday, 09:00–17:00 GMT). Submissions made outside operating hours will be addressed on the next working studio morning.
If you require ongoing template extensions, bespoke feature builds, or regular editorial updates after sign-off, new project scopes can be arranged. Bespoke quotes are returned within 48 hours of receiving a complete brief, whilst standard maintenance packages can be reviewed on the packages page.
Handover completion checklist
Before marking the project as formally closed, ensure your team has completed the following items:
* [ ] Primary administrator invite accepted and verified. * [ ] Staging-to-production DNS cutover confirmed with valid SSL certificate. * [ ] Form endpoints tested with successful receipt in live inboxes. * [ ] Search engine indexation settings toggled from private to public. * [ ] CMS operational guide received and distributed to your internal content team. * [ ] Any existing staging-environment passwords or temporary logins revoked.