Download the handover checklist
Confirm what the recipient expects
Check the agreed deliverables before packaging the files. A survey may include a schedule, map, photographs and a written report, but those outputs should follow the commission. Confirm the intended recipient, file formats and any restrictions on sharing or reuse.
Make the package easy to navigate
Use a project name and issue date that connect the files. Include a short contents note stating what each file contains, its version and any supporting documents. Where a report references a drawing, make the drawing revision clear. Avoid sending a folder of drafts with no indication of the current issue.
- Project and site identity, with issue date.
- Report and schedule file names and versions.
- Map, photo and supporting document references.
- The scope and any recorded coverage or access limitations.
- Location method and coordinate information where supplied.
- A contact for questions or corrections.
Follow one tree through the files
Choose a sample tree and confirm its ID is consistent in the schedule, map, report and photographs. Check records affected by late edits. Review all professional recommendations before issue; a sample consistency check is a useful additional step, not a substitute for that review.
An example contents note
Illustrative package: “Project North Garden, issue 02. Included: report PDF, tree schedule CSV, site map PDF and labelled photographs. The tree IDs match across the files. The report identifies the survey date and coverage. Issue 02 replaces issue 01; the accompanying change note explains the correction.”
Open the files as the client would
Test the exported PDF, schedule and images outside the application used to create them. Inspect map labels, table content and photograph references. Where a protected package is agreed, confirm the recipient can open it using the agreed method. Keep an archive of the issued files and avoid replacing it with an unlabelled later revision.
Use the report review checklist and plan version guide. Explore Canopy's survey workflow for collecting and reporting tree records.
Prepared by Canopy.