What do I say to developers who keep sending my architecture firm work?
Tell your most regular developers yourself and early, before any announcement reaches them second-hand. Be clear that you are planning a transition, that their projects will be looked after, and that you will introduce the people who will carry on. Do not promise outcomes you cannot control.
Developers who send work repeatedly have chosen you partly because they trust you. Treat the conversation as a business courtesy and a reassurance. Pick the moment well: after you have decided to go ahead, and before they hear it from anyone else. A call or coffee works better than an email.
Say what stays the same and what may change. Who will lead their projects? Will the staff they know remain? Will fees and timelines follow the same approach? If you do not yet know, tell them honestly and say when you will. They are not asking for a guarantee; they are asking whether the work will be safe.
Offer an introduction to the successor or buyer, preferably on a live project so they can see the quality for themselves. Do not push a developer to commit to future work, and be careful about confidentiality before a buyer is chosen. Your lawyer can advise how much to share and when. Afterward, keep in touch regularly through the handover so nothing feels abandoned. Write down what each developer says in reply, because their worries become your handover list, and ask each one what would make the change easier for them.
Key takeaways
- Tell regular developers yourself before they hear it from someone else.
- Say what stays the same, and be honest about what is still undecided.
- Introduce the successor on live work, not at a one-off meeting.
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Sources
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- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
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