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Practical toolDelivery checklist

Freelance delivery checklist: prepare review, decision and handoff.

Keep this page open while preparing delivery. Check the points relevant to your project, identify what is missing and make the next action clear.

Use the checklist

Delivery can be ready in your own tool without being easy for the client to understand. This checklist helps you check the version, decision request and material to hand over, using 18 reference points across three stages.

Use the groups according to the project’s actual progress. Our freelance delivery guide covers the wider process of preparing deliverables, handling feedback and arranging final handoff.

The ticks are personal reminders: they do not make the client or payment service act. If a point is missing, keep it visible and prepare the action needed.

A microphone and headphones are set up on a white table for audio production.
Three passes to prepare a clear next step.
  • Review: the client can assess the correct version.
  • Decision: the response and reservations are identifiable.
  • Handoff: the agreed material and conditions are checked.

0/18 items checked

These boxes track your own checks. They do not constitute client approval, payment or permission to hand over files.

View the checklist as text
Prepare the deliverable for review
[ ] The review version is identified.
    Its name, reference and material distinguish this version from earlier drafts.
[ ] The content has been checked against the accepted scope.
    Compare what is presented with agreed deliverables and identify limitations or material still missing.
[ ] The points to assess are specified.
    The client knows what to check without guessing what “is everything fine?” is meant to cover.
[ ] Access to the preview has been checked.
    Verify opening and recipient permissions; external links need settings checked with their provider.
[ ] The person expected to respond is known.
    Identify who consolidates opinions and who can confirm the decision for this stage.
[ ] The response channel and date are agreed.
    Use actual availability; a proposed date still needs confirmation if it has not been accepted.

Understand and retain the decision
[ ] The person giving the response is identified.
    Check their role and distinguish a contributor’s opinion from the decision expected.
[ ] The response is connected to a version.
    Keep the material assessed with a reference that helps you find its comments later.
[ ] The decision expressed is recorded.
    Distinguish approval, reservations, revisions or clarification; receipt alone does not describe the whole decision.
[ ] Reservations and open points are listed.
    Locate each point and state what is missing; do not turn ambiguity into assumed agreement.
[ ] The treatment of revisions is confirmed.
    Record retained changes, their scope and next version, or that no correction has been requested.
[ ] The next step is agreed.
    Identify the action, responsible person and confirmed date without inferring an automatic money movement.

Arrange handoff of the agreed material
[ ] The final package has an inventory.
    Name exports, editable files, documentation and access actually covered by the agreement.
[ ] Opening the files has been checked.
    Test the handoff copy and state software, versions or dependencies needed to continue working.
[ ] Relevant rights and licences have been assessed.
    Check agreed uses and third-party resources before passing on material you are not authorised to provide.
[ ] The handoff conditions are checked.
    Read the agreement and actual status of any payment expected; this box confirms no payment.
[ ] The recipient and access are checked.
    Specify the intended channel and role; handle invitations or credentials through an appropriate method.
[ ] Follow-up and retention are prepared.
    Plan retrieval confirmation, a copy of the delivered version and the agreed availability arrangements.
01 · Before sending

Prepare a version the client can assess.

Start with the material actually being presented, not the last document open on your computer. Find the scope, deliverables and person expected to reply. The preview should show enough work for the agreed review, with its limits clearly identified.

A person uses a stylus and graphics tablet beside a laptop.
Prepare the deliverable for review

Its name, reference and material distinguish this version from earlier drafts.

Compare what is presented with agreed deliverables and identify limitations or material still missing.

The client knows what to check without guessing what “is everything fine?” is meant to cover.

Verify opening and recipient permissions; external links need settings checked with their provider.

Identify who consolidates opinions and who can confirm the decision for this stage.

Use actual availability; a proposed date still needs confirmation if it has not been accepted.

For a presentation, compare the preview with the expected sections and check how the text and images display. Locate anything missing instead of ticking content from habit. The check should help you ask a precise question or correct the material before review.

Verify before ticking

Open the material and check the link through access matching the recipient’s where possible. A file existing in your workspace does not establish that the client can open it. If something is missing, state its status and effect on review instead of presenting the package as complete.

In Dealokr, deliverables and revisions can be included in the signed agreement. For fixed-price work, the client pays 100% upfront through Stripe Connect. You can prepare the review within an accepted framework, with client funding arranged before production.

02 · After the client replies

Identify the decision instead of assuming it.

Use this group once there is a response to assess. Find the relevant version and the actual meaning of the reply. An acknowledgement may confirm receipt without describing what is approved. A reservation or question should remain visible until it is clarified.

Two colleagues discuss a document in a bright office.
Understand and retain the decision

Check their role and distinguish a contributor’s opinion from the decision expected.

Keep the material assessed with a reference that helps you find its comments later.

Distinguish approval, reservations, revisions or clarification; receipt alone does not describe the whole decision.

Locate each point and state what is missing; do not turn ambiguity into assumed agreement.

Record retained changes, their scope and next version, or that no correction has been requested.

Identify the action, responsible person and confirmed date without inferring an automatic money movement.

Connect feedback to the right version

If several people contribute, ask for a combined response and a decision on incompatible opinions. Identify corrections retained and new requests still to discuss. The number of boxes ticked decides neither the scope nor the price of a change.

In Dealokr, the preview, revision requests and history help you find the work presented and associated exchanges. Those references help prepare the next step; ticking a box here does not create approval in the project.

03 · Before final handoff

Check the package and conditions actually met.

Prepare an understandable inventory of names, versions and formats. Separate review material from the agreed final package without introducing a new restriction on files already owed. Source files and access need their own checks according to the project.

A spool of natural twine rests on a grey surface.
Arrange handoff of the agreed material

Name exports, editable files, documentation and access actually covered by the agreement.

Test the handoff copy and state software, versions or dependencies needed to continue working.

Check agreed uses and third-party resources before passing on material you are not authorised to provide.

Read the agreement and actual status of any payment expected; this box confirms no payment.

Specify the intended channel and role; handle invitations or credentials through an appropriate method.

Plan retrieval confirmation, a copy of the delivered version and the agreed availability arrangements.

If the package includes a native file, check its dependencies. A font installed on your computer may be missing for the client. State the prerequisites and verified limits in accompanying documentation instead of assuming an identical setup.

Separate a personal check from a real action

Verify payment in the agreed channel where it forms part of the accepted handoff conditions. A screenshot supplied by the client or a personal tick does not confirm payment. Licences, external permissions and technical prerequisites also need checking at their source.

In Dealokr, you request the transfer under the project’s conditions following the required review; the client gains access to hosted final files after confirmation. Bank arrival remains separate and no tick in this checklist triggers a transfer. A first milestone transfer does not unlock every file.

04 · When something is missing

Turn an open point into a precise request.

An unchecked item identifies an action to prepare, not a failure to hide. Note what is missing, who can answer and the practical effect on the next stage. Do not tick a box simply to make the progress indicator complete.

A man writes on sticky notes placed on a glass wall.

A review request to personalise

Request a decision on the right material

Subject: review of [deliverable] — version [reference]

Hello [name],

Version [reference] is available in [channel]. It supports assessment of [agreed criteria]. Points still open are [list or none].

Could you send a decision or feedback identifying its location by [agreed date or date to confirm]? If information or access is missing, please tell me so we can address it.

The planned next step is [action under the agreement].

[Name]

After a conversation, summarise the points expressed and ask for confirmation where something is unclear. If the version changes, recheck the relevant items before reusing your summary.

05 · At handoff

Retain a useful reference for both people.

Keep the agreement, version reviewed, client response, inventory and handoff message together. A complete checklist does not replace those documents. Preserve the context explaining what was actually decided and delivered, rather than relying on a completed indicator alone.

A woman reaches for a binder on a shelf beside her workspace.

A note to accompany the material handed over

Confirm the package and retrieval

Subject: handoff for [project] — package [reference]

Hello [name],

The material [inventory and versions] is available in [channel], under agreement [reference]. Prerequisites and points still open are [list or none].

Could you confirm retrieval and opening? Planned availability is [agreed arrangements] and included follow-up is [scope]. Any account access is handled separately through [appropriate channel].

[Name]

Use this note when the material announced is genuinely available. Confirm backup and retention arrangements without promising unlimited hosting. An opening problem still needs specific follow-up even after the sending step has finished.

06 · Practical questions

Use the boxes as personal reference points.

Must I tick everything before requesting review?

Start with the group relevant to your stage. Decision and handoff points can stay open while the project has not reached them. The progress indicator shows your progress through these checks without certifying the actual state of the whole commission.

A person reviews a document on a clipboard beside a laptop.

What if an item is not relevant to this project?

Record why it does not apply in your own follow-up and adapt the check to the service. An item without a purpose is different from something you have not verified. Source files, licences and access requirements vary according to the deliverable and agreement.

Can I send the copied summary directly?

Review it, add the version reference and remove what is unnecessary for the recipient. A personal status is not the client’s response. The two messages help request or confirm a real action, with placeholders to complete. Check that the words describe the current project.

What happens if I reset the boxes?

You reset your personal checks in this tool. That does not withdraw approval, cancel payment or modify project files. Keep the decisions and documents needed for your records separately, so clearing a working list does not remove the reference you rely on.

Does this checklist guarantee trouble-free delivery?

It helps identify missing information and formulate the next step. It guarantees neither the client’s reply, the outcome of a dispute nor external-service permissions. Check the actual facts and conditions relevant to your project rather than treating a completed list as a guarantee.

Choose the relevant stage, verify the facts and keep open points visible. The checklist becomes useful when it prepares a request, decision or handoff that each person can understand.

Back to the checklist
Sources and verification
  • Dealokr — Agreements, deliverables and upfront fixed-price funding
  • Dealokr — Previews, revisions and project history
  • Dealokr — Conditional transfers and hosted final-file access
  • Dealokr — External permissions and handoff arrangements

These boxes support your personal follow-up. They do not approve work on the client’s behalf, confirm payment or trigger a transfer or file access. They do not replace the agreement’s terms, licences or applicable rules.