Handing over code to another person or another team is a pretty common task. You might simply get other tasks or even get another project.
So, what should be done for a good handover?
Preparation
The first phase of the handover is preparation on your side. Make the project shine in every aspect.
Remove Outdated Code
I would think of it from the perspective of the person that gets to software. They might have to go through all code written so far. From their perspective, every piece of code that is not necessary just adds work. I claim that outdated code even adds more work than the useful code as you first try to understand why it was written which might be impossible as circumstances have changed.
Test Coverage
The better tests you have, the more comfortable will the new developer feel with adjusting something. You should have a 100% module coverage (any file is touched by some test) and a high line and branch coverage.
You might want to read about tox,
unittest and
pytest.
Issues
Have a look at the open issues. Is it possible to understand them? Are some of them maybe already solved? Is the priority propperly set?
Documentation
Make sure the documentation is recent. Documentation - especially on architecture - tends to get outdated.
Make sure your documentation answers the following questions:
- What is the purpose of the project?
- How can I install it?
- What does the overall architecture look like (including systems you interact with)?
Code Walkthrough
Go with the other developer(s) through a typical program execution. Ask them a couple of times if it is clear to them so far.
Your first PR
Although people should read code responsible, they likely also have other tasks. And, let's be honest, without a real task reading other peoples code is hard and boring. So make a Pull Request (PR) and let them review it.
Their first PR
Give them a simple task to solve. Ask them to make a PR and review it.
Their first Bugfix
When the developer(s) who took over the project fixed the first bug that you were not aware of on their own, then I'd say the handover is over and was successful.