Most of us know the feeling.
You’ve set up a fixed time, fixed price contract with the developer, but neither is being met. Features that were supposed to be finished within two sprints drag on for months. Communication slowly breaks down. And somewhere deep down, you suspect things aren’t heading in the right direction.
At this point, you need to consider whether to continue with the same team or hand the project over to new developers. Changing vendors doesn’t have to cause chaos. If done correctly, it can throw the project a rope and pull it back from the chasm of failure.
These are the points to keep in mind:
1. When Should You Hand Over App Development to Another Team?
The hardest part comes first: Making a decision.
Clients typically resort to this this if:
new features are being added slowly or not at all (no release in sight);
the budget is significantly exceeded;
the chosen technical solution doesn’t match the original vision;
the developers fail to meet deadlines and communicate poorly.
If you’ve concluded that a change is necessary, you need to align expectations and set the terms of the handoff during the first meeting with the new team. Otherwise, the new dev team will likely fall into the same traps as the old one.
Honest and open communication among all parties is absolutely crucial to success.
2. Technical Documentation
Next step is gathering the necessary technical documentation. To ensure a smooth handover, prepare the following:
source code and access to the repository,
documentation on the architecture and key features,
access to the production and testing environments,
information on databases, APIs, and external integrations,
CI/CD pipeline and deployment process,
accounts on the App Store, Google Play, Firebase, cloud services, analytics, and monitoring platforms,
backlog, roadmap, and list of known issues,
Proper documentation is a lifesaver for new developers. The project can still be salvaged without it, but expect significant delays.
3. Project Status Analysis
Once the handover begins, the new team conducts an in-depth technical analysis.
The purpose is to objectively assess the current state of the software. We examine code quality, architecture, security, performance, stability, and the current level of technical debt. Developers are jumping aboard a moving train and need to grasp what is (and isn’t) working, and what needs to be taken over in terms of code, infrastructure, rights, and operations.
The purpose of the audit is to establish clear priorities: what threatens operations, what blocks the roadmap, what increases costs, and what can wait for later. This makes it possible to decide whether to stabilize the application, modernize it gradually, or rewrite certain parts.
At Netglade, we repeatedly encouter insufficient documentation as the biggest issue of app handovers, followed by the client’s unclear vision. The code itself almost always meets an acceptable baseline. All the more nowadays, when a significant portion of it is written by AI.
That’s why it’s essential to conduct an internal audit and determine whether there were any errors on the client’s side as well, most commonly unrealistic requirements or vague goals.
4. Legislation
Occasionally, we encounter cases where the client has not addressed the legal requirements for the transition.
Before switching vendors, it’s necessary to verify who owns the rights to the source code, graphics, databases, and documentation. The contract with the original vendor must clearly state whether the company acquired ownership rights, a license, or merely the right to use the application.
In addition to copyrights, the new team will need access to accounts and services (Apple Developer, Google Play Console, etc.). Ideally, these should be registered under the company’s name. If key services are under the vendor’s account, the handover may be more complicated.
For apps that handle personal data, it’s also necessary to review GDPR compliance, access permissions, and secure data transfer. The new team should have access only to what it truly needs, and ideally under terms that are contractually and security-wise addressed.
5. Transferring Knowledge
The best-case scenario is a structured handover, during which the original team explains the architecture, outstanding issues, the release process, and known technical limitations. A few well-run handover meetings are enough for the new team to gain the context that would otherwise take weeks to figure out.
However, experience shows us that these cases are quite rare. Documentation is often incomplete, and communication with the original vendor is sporadic.
Still, the project can be taken over. You just need to expect that the new team will first create its own technical map of the application, familiarize itself with the dependencies, and verify how the system actually behaves in production.
6. Getting the Project Up and Running
After taking over the project, it’s usually not the best strategy to jump right into developing new features.
The priority should be stabilization: get the project up and running locally, verify the builds, check the pipeline, and set up basic monitoring and crash reporting. Alternatively, release a new version on the store with only cosmetic changes to test whether the entire process runs smoothly in practice.
This phase reduces the risk of carrying over old issues. Verifying the technical foundation is essential before planning the roadmap, sprints, and continuing long-term development.
7. Save It or Rewrite It?
Taking over an application does not automatically warrant a rewrite. Sometimes it’s more advantageous, both economically and technically, to build on the existing code, address the biggest risks, and gradually modernize the application. Other times, however, the original solution is so far removed from the goal that a rewrite is necessary.
Decisions should be based on the audit, business priorities, and the current state of the architecture. With legacy systems, it often pays to rewrite gradually—by modules, functions, or layers—so that the application can continue to function.
8. Roadmap: Returning to the Original Vision
Ideally, following a technical audit and stabilization, a revised roadmap should be created that aligns the project’s technical status with business priorities. This is the moment when a problematic project can once again become a product with a clear plan that the new team can gradually implement.
Are you considering switching your vendor mid-development?
At Netglade, we routinely take on ongoing projects and rewrite legacy systems.
