The project needs a short transition review. Give the new sponsor enough context to understand the commitment and confirm which decisions they now own.
Establish the current point of contact
Ask the client who will act as the authorised contact during the transition. Use the agreed communication and approval route. A new name on an organisation chart does not explain who can accept work or approve a change.
Check whether upcoming meetings, document access or review responsibilities are affected. Continue work that remains clearly authorised and practical under the agreement; resolve any uncertainty before making an additional commitment.
Prepare a compact transition record
This completed fictional record is for a customer-enquiry process review.
| Item | Current position |
|---|---|
| Commitment | Paid assignment already accepted; work is in progress |
| Agreed question | How should website enquiries reach the responsible team? |
| Accepted scope | Review one route, four interviews and a recommendation meeting |
| Work completed | Four interviews and document review |
| Work remaining | Recommendation, factual check and final meeting |
| Existing decision | Operations will own the routing rule |
| Open decision | Who will handle the exception for partner enquiries? |
| Next client action | Confirm reviewer and meeting availability |
| Change requested | None recorded at this point |
Attach or link the accepted scope and current deliverables through the client's approved workspace. Avoid sending a large history of private messages when a factual summary and the relevant records will do.
Hold a transition conversation
Walk through the original business question, work completed and open decisions. Ask whether the question is still relevant and what the new sponsor needs to understand.
A useful opening is: "Here is the assignment we are working to and where it stands. Which assumptions should we check with you before preparing the recommendation?"
The new sponsor may discover an error in the summary. Correct it. They may also want a different project. Make that a visible decision, with an assessment of the changed output, effort and dates.
Separate continuation from a new request
Suppose the new manager wants the review to include phone enquiries as well. Record that as a requested addition and discuss feasible options. Do not quietly change the brief while the delivery team continues following the old version.
If the client wants to pause, agree the practical position: completed work, current documents, affected dates and the next decision point. Apply the actual agreement to fees or formal changes. This article does not establish a general contractual right to stop or charge.
Send one current confirmation
Record the confirmed sponsor, current question, remaining work and next review. Identify any unresolved approval explicitly.
The confirmation could be as simple as: "We will complete the website-enquiry recommendation under the existing scope. Maya will review the draft. We will assess the requested phone-enquiry work separately before adding it."
An orderly transition protects the client's understanding of the purchase and gives your team a credible basis for completing the remaining work. It can also reveal a new need, which deserves its own assessment rather than being folded into an uncertain handover.