Ownership · 7 min read
What you should own after a software project
A product can look finished while leaving the business dependent on one vendor. Ownership is clearer when every asset, account, and operating responsibility is named before launch.
01
Own the project assets
The agreement should explain who owns source code, designs, content, data models, documentation, and licensed assets. It should identify anything that cannot be transferred.
02
Control the operational accounts
The business should know who controls domains, DNS, cloud infrastructure, stores, model providers, analytics, payment systems, email delivery, and other production services.
03
Receive an operable handoff
A handoff should cover deployment, access, monitoring, integrations, incidents, common changes, and future support. Another qualified team should be able to continue without reverse-engineering basic decisions.