## 1. Handoff Diagnosis **Assessment: BROKEN — redesign and pilot required.** The handoff transfers a customer name and short note, but not the commercial, technical, security, timeline, and ownership context Implementation needs. Sales remains the unofficial owner because acceptance is undefined. This causes repeated discovery, disputed scope, delayed launches, and hidden work. ## 2. Scope and Evidence **Handoff:** Sales → Implementation for signed enterprise customers. **Confirmed** - Commitments are made during sales calls. - Only part reaches the CRM. - Twelve launches were delayed. - Three customers disputed scope. - Account executives still handle operational questions. **Unknown** - Contract source of truth - Required security and integration evidence - Exception authority - Capacity and acceptance targets - Root causes for each delay ## 3. Current Handoff Chain Map | Stage | Required output | Evidence | Status | |---|---|---|---| | Discovery | Needs and stakeholders | Partial CRM notes | Partial | | Contract | Approved commitments | Not mapped | Unknown | | Transfer | Complete packet | Short note | Fail | | Acceptance | Receiver decision | None | Fail | | Kickoff | Confirmed plan | Discovery repeated | At risk | | Ownership | Clear operational owner | AE remains involved | Fail | ## 4. Failure Analysis - No minimum evidence standard - Promises not reconciled with signed scope - No accept, reject, or escalate step - Missing facts found in front of the customer - Exceptions lack owners and approvals - Sales responsibility has no defined end - Delay and dispute data is not linked to handoff defects ## 5. Target Handoff Design Use **prepare → validate → accept → introduce → stabilize**. 1. Sales prepares the packet after terms are final. 2. Contract, solution, security, and delivery facts are checked. 3. Implementation reviews before customer introduction. 4. It accepts, conditionally accepts, rejects, or escalates with reasons. 5. Both teams run one customer introduction using an agreed summary. 6. Implementation becomes operational owner after acceptance. 7. Sales provides commercial clarification during a limited stabilization period. Transfer completes only when the receiver acknowledges ownership and every critical exception has an owner and due date. ## 6. Required Handoff Packet Require: - Customer and contract identifiers - Products, term, scope, and exclusions - Approved timeline and outcomes - Executive, commercial, technical, security, and billing contacts - Integrations, data, migration, training, and support expectations - Security, privacy, procurement, and compliance status - Risks, dependencies, and open decisions - Delivery owner and capacity confirmation - Links to contracts, notes, diagrams, and approvals - Exceptions with owner, deadline, and customer message - Kickoff agenda and next actions Exclude unnecessary sensitive data. ## 7. Ownership and Acceptance Rules **Sales owns:** commercial accuracy, promise-to-contract reconciliation, missing contacts, open objections, and customer introduction. **Implementation owns:** readiness review, feasibility questions, acceptance, and delivery communication after transfer. Use: - `ACCEPTED`: critical criteria pass. - `CONDITIONAL`: named conditions have owners and deadlines. - `REJECTED`: a critical requirement is missing or conflicts with scope. - `ESCALATED`: authority is needed for scope, capacity, or risk. A meeting invitation or CRM stage change is not acceptance. ## 8. Exceptions and Escalation Escalate when a promise is outside scope, the date lacks capacity, a security or data issue is unresolved, the customer lacks a technical owner, or a critical dependency has no plan. Record the decision, options, customer impact, owner, deadline, and approved message. Do not make the customer resolve an internal ownership dispute. ## 9. Implementation and Pilot Plan 1. Review the twelve delays and three disputes. 2. Classify defects by context, scope, authority, owner, dependency, or acceptance. 3. Build the packet in the current system of record. 4. Define required fields and review targets. 5. Pilot with five upcoming customers. 6. Hold internal review before customer introduction. 7. Record acceptance state and defects. 8. Compare repeated questions, delays, disputes, and kickoff time with the baseline. 9. Revise, train both teams, expand, and audit monthly. ## 10. Metrics and Controls Track: - First-time acceptance - Missing critical fields - Signature-to-acceptance time - Repeated customer questions - Scope disputes from pre-sale promises - Delays caused by handoff defects - Conditional or rejected transfers - Overdue exceptions - AE involvement after acceptance Use metrics to improve the boundary, not to force acceptance of incomplete work. ## 11. Approval Request and Unknowns **Approve now:** Root-cause review, packet design, ownership rules, acceptance states, and a five-customer pilot. **Do not approve:** Automatic transfer based only on deal stage or removal of Sales before conditional items have owners. **Required evidence** 1. Sample contracts, CRM records, discovery notes, and kickoff notes 2. Delay and dispute details 3. Roles, systems, capacity checks, and escalation authority 4. Security, integration, and readiness requirements 5. Communication and stabilization expectations Until the minimum packet and receiver acceptance rule are approved, the handoff remains **BROKEN**.