The sales-to-delivery handoff is accepted when the delivery owner understands the current commitment and explicitly takes responsibility for its next step. Verify the agreed scope, required start conditions, unresolved assumptions and decision authority. Return an ambiguous commitment to its commercial owner before it becomes a production instruction.
- Commercial owner sendsSupply the current agreement and unresolved assumptions.
- Delivery owner reviewsCheck the commitment and authority for the next step.
- Record the outcomeAccept, accept a defined step with conditions, or return for clarification.
A returned handoff names the missing decision and its owner. Onboarding follows the accepted commitment.
This is an acceptance decision
The broader onboarding guide covers intake, access, project setup and kickoff. This guide addresses one narrower question: has delivery accepted the commercial commitment it is being asked to fulfill?
A sales record marked won tells the agency something about the commercial stage. It does not tell delivery whether the agreed work is clear, whether start conditions are satisfied or who can resolve an ambiguity. Define a deliberate acceptance point between those stages.
Assign sender, receiver and decision authority
The commercial owner supplies the current agreement and relevant context. The delivery owner checks whether that commitment can be translated into the next delivery step. A third person may hold authority over a commercial exception or changed commitment.
- Commercial ownerSupplies the current agreement and relevant context.
- Delivery ownerChecks whether commitment can become the next delivery step.
- Authority holderResolves a commercial exception or changed commitment.
One person may hold several roles, but each responsibility remains distinct.
One person can perform several roles, but name them separately. A small agency still benefits from distinguishing “I closed the sale” from “I checked what delivery has agreed to do.” The distinction remains useful when another person takes over either role.
Review the commitment rather than every onboarding input
| Acceptance question | Evidence to review | Owner of an unresolved issue |
|---|---|---|
| Which agreement is current? | Accepted version and relevant decisions | Commercial owner |
| What is included? | Deliverables and exclusions | Commercial owner |
| What permits the start? | Agency's actual start conditions | Authorized start owner |
| What depends on an assumption? | Explicit unresolved commitments | Owner of the relevant decision |
| Who can approve a change? | Agreed authority on both sides | Relationship or commercial owner |
| Who takes the next delivery step? | Named recipient and acknowledgment | Delivery owner |
Do not turn this check into a second intake form. Its purpose is to resolve the commitment before onboarding translates it into assets, access requests and tasks.
Return ambiguity to the right owner
For an illustrative engagement, sales discussed a launch window but the accepted proposal specifies only discovery. Delivery should identify the difference rather than schedule a launch from conversation notes. The commercial owner can confirm the actual commitment and update the record.
- Find the differenceIdentify conflict between notes and accepted proposal.
- State missing decisionRecord the discrepancy and needed commitment.
- Route commercial questionCommercial owner confirms the actual commitment.
- Set safe boundaryAccept only defined work that can safely proceed.
Delivery should not infer which statement overrides another.
Another example is an approved deliverable with an unresolved dependency. Delivery can accept a defined discovery step while recording that later production requires a separate decision. The acceptance record should show that boundary clearly.
Avoid making delivery silently repair commercial ambiguity through extra work. A returned handoff is useful feedback when it names the missing decision and the person responsible for it.
Record acceptance, conditions or return
Use an explicit state: accepted, accepted for a defined next step with conditions, or returned for clarification. Record the receiver, current agreement reference and any condition. The vocabulary can differ, but its meaning must be clear.
Conditional acceptance should not conceal an unresolved core commitment. If nobody can say what the agency is delivering, the handoff needs clarification. If only a later input remains open, define what can proceed and who owns that input.
Translate the accepted commitment once
After acceptance, use the current record to prepare the delivery brief and onboarding work. The brief approval guide explains that translation. Keep a link back to the accepted commitment so a later scope question has an authoritative starting point.
- Accept commitmentConfirm the delivery owner accepts the next step.
- Prepare delivery briefUse the current record for onboarding work.
- Keep source linkLink the brief back to accepted commitment.
- Review returned handoffsInspect conflicting scope, missing authority, or unsupported timing.
The accepted commitment is the authoritative starting point for later scope questions.
Review handoffs returned because of conflicting scope, missing authority or unsupported timing. Those findings can improve the proposal and sales process. Measure acceptance quality through the decisions resolved and instructions made clear, rather than counting how quickly a project task was created.
Questions and answers
Who accepts the sales-to-delivery handoff?
Name a delivery owner with responsibility for the next stage. The commercial owner supplies the current commitment and resolves questions about it. An automatic task assignment can notify the recipient, but the agreed acceptance check confirms the transfer.
Can delivery return an incomplete handoff?
Yes, under a clearly defined process. Record the exact missing decision or commitment and assign it to the responsible commercial owner. If some work can proceed safely, document that boundary rather than treating the whole transfer as accepted.
What if sales discussed a different scope from the accepted proposal?
Record the discrepancy and have the authorized owner reconcile it with the client as appropriate. Delivery should not infer which statement overrides the other. Use the resolved commitment to update the handoff and any subsequent project brief.