DEVELOPER HANDOFF
A clearer handoff begins before implementation
A developer handoff should not ask someone to “continue the project” without explaining the objective, current state, boundaries, uncertainty, and evidence.
PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK
What a useful handoff includes
The handoff should make the objective, current state, implementation boundary, evidence, safeguards, and reporting expectations reviewable together.
Project objective
Current product or repository state
User and business context
In-scope work
Out-of-scope work
Assumptions
Missing information
Evidence and source references
Expected behaviour
Current behaviour
Acceptance criteria
Known risks
Dependencies
Do-not-touch areas
Required tests and checks
Stop conditions
Reporting expectations
CURRENT FRAMEWORK
Handoff anatomy
- Objective and state
What the project should achieve and where it is now
- Scope boundary
In scope, exclusions, and do-not-touch areas
- Evidence
Sources, assumptions, missing information, and behaviour
- Acceptance
Criteria, tests, checks, dependencies, and risk
- Safeguards
Permissions, stop conditions, and reporting
Read visual as text
A developer handoff contains the objective and current state, user and business context, scope and exclusions, assumptions and missing information, evidence and behaviour, acceptance criteria and risks, safeguards, stop conditions, and reporting expectations.
DECISION CHECKLIST
Review the handoff before granting implementation authority
A bounded handoff separates planning context, read-only inspection, approval, implementation, verification, and delivery.
Can the developer explain the project objective and current state?
Are in-scope and out-of-scope work explicit?
Are assumptions and missing information visible?
Can evidence and source references be inspected?
Are expected and current behaviour distinguished?
Are acceptance criteria and required checks testable?
Are risks, dependencies, and do-not-touch areas clear?
Do stop conditions define when work must pause?
Do reporting expectations specify the evidence required at handoff?
CURRENT FRAMEWORK
Read-only dry-run sequence
- Inspect read-only
- Identify mismatches
- Map impact
- Plan bounded work
- Review
- Approve or stop
Read visual as text
Inspect the repository in read-only mode, identify mismatches and missing decisions, map affected files dependencies tests and risks, prepare a bounded implementation plan, review the dry run, and only then approve modification.
COMMON MISTAKES & RISKS
Common handoff failures
Broad instructions create accidental permission and make it difficult to determine whether delivered work stayed within scope.
Asking someone to “continue the project” without a bounded objective.
Leaving exclusions and do-not-touch areas implicit.
Providing assumptions without identifying them as assumptions.
Omitting evidence, acceptance criteria, or required checks.
Granting broad Production or deployment authority.
Beginning modification before a read-only dry run is reviewed.
Failing to define stop conditions and reporting expectations.
CURRENT FRAMEWORK
Approval and stop-condition boundary
- Planning context
Objective, scope, evidence, risks, and draft handoff
- Read-only review
Inspect the actual repository and report a bounded plan
- Explicit approval required
Modification, dependency changes, migrations, protected branches, data, and deployment
Read visual as text
Planning context permits review. Read-only inspection requires approved access. Code modification requires explicit bounded approval. Production credentials, migrations, protected branches, data deletion, and deployment remain outside authority unless separately approved.
CURRENT PRODUCT MAPPING
How this framework maps to Airchor today
Both Airchor routes generate handoff drafts that can be reviewed and combined with the actual repository before implementation begins.
CURRENT LIMITATION
Planning context is not implementation permission
An Airchor handoff is planning context. It is not permission to use Production credentials, apply migrations, install dependencies without review, push to protected branches, delete data, or deploy software.
- No Production credentials
- No migrations
- No dependency installation without review
- No protected-branch push
- No data deletion
- No deployment
NEXT ACTION