Design Deliverables Checklist

Working as a consultant and design lead has taught me never to underestimate the enormity of closing out a project. It can be a mammoth task: From the feverish rush to complete any outstanding work to the fine-tooth comb taken through the final product— not to mention the late-night dry run sessions before the last readout. It is hardly surprising that file handover is so overlooked.

This is where a project delivery checklist can be helpful.

I initially built this checklist for an in-house design team operating with several green designers who had never completed a delivery process before. This became a reliable resource for them, allowing them to work more autonomously while I focused on other efforts. Now, I use it myself as a set of guardrails. It speeds up the delivery process immensely.

While most teams operate slightly differently, the handover process is one workflow that can stay mostly the same.


This checklist helps with:

• Staying accountable for all necessary delivery items (including those sold in the SOW)
• Preserving cognitive load at the end of a project for high-impact items
• Establishing and distributing a set of consistent delivery standards
• Preventing duplicative work and evenly distributing workload
• Increasing team communication, collaboration, and transparency

Lastly, I have found this tool helps prevent the team from switching off too early (we've all done it).

Here’s how it works:

The checklist has been broken into stages so your team can take incremental steps towards the delivery process early and often.

1. Use the checklist as a backlog
2. Assign names to tasks to distribute the workload
3. Include specifics and directions in the “What’s needed?” column
4. Once completed, include a link to where the item has been stored
5. Mark it “Done” once complete

Customize it to your needs:

Use this template as is-- or as a starting point for a custom delivery checklist.
After duplicating this template, you can easily add or adjust items on the list to account for your project's unique needs. Whatever you deliver to the client will have its own set of delivery criteria, so when planning your handover, ask yourself:

Who might see this next? And how do I want them to experience it?

Consider the file type, how you export the design, any comments, and documentation you want to include in the package, as well as any pictures or fonts that have been used.

Note: These templates are intended for use on Notion. Users will need to create a free account on Notion to make use of them.