---
title: Hand over the product
acode: F01
principles:
  - 3
  - 5
---

When the project is complete, we need to receive approval and hand the product over to the internal or external customer. In cases of canceling the project, this may or may not be required.

Sometimes, the customer accepts the products, but agrees with you on a list of extra tasks you need to do within a certain duration. In such cases, you can proceed and close the project, and hand over the remaining activities to a support/maintenance team.


## Purpose 

The goal is to have an official hand-over and approval for the product, which is a prerequisite for complete closure of the project. Remember that having projects that are almost done but are frozen in their last stages is a waste of resources and makes your portfolio management complicated. It's best to close things and move on to new endeavors. 


## Common pitfalls 

This management activity is the major closure in the project, and it can be complicated and time-consuming if you've not taken the intermediary closures seriously enough. 

When possible, seek approval of the sponsor and the customer for the major deliverables of the project when they are complete, rather than at the end of the project. This simplifies the final closure.


