War-game a handoff script before stage exits, context fields, and acceptance criteria harden into how every account moves between teams.
Handoff scripts fail when the checklist invents context depth the CRM never captured, when stages dual-count the same account as transferred and as still owned, when CSMs still teach informal Slack handoffs in private, and when RevOps cannot show which handoffs actually cleared under the published fields. A neat transition checklist is not evidence.
Lock the script
State the proposed exit criteria and required fields, which motion types and segments it covers, who owns acceptance and audit, what success looks like after two quarters of time-to-value and reopen rate, and the kill criteria if shadow handoffs or missing-context disputes past a named threshold. Attach the field map, sample closed-won notes, acceptance logs, and the measured path from sales exit to CS acceptance. If sales, CS, and RevOps disagree on whether the script buys continuity or just longer forms, reconcile before seating.
Name the decision you will make if the war game finds nothing new, and the hold criteria if any motion still lacks a named owner or a verified acceptance path.
Who should fire
- CSM receiving. Fear that "ready for handoff" still means a blank technical context field.
- Account executive. Exit math that looks clean while required notes remain optional in practice.
- RevOps. Stage claims that invent completeness the CRM fields will not support.
- Implementation lead. Kickoff dates that still host missing environment details.
- Skeptic. The claim that looks strongest and is least sourced.
Optional product seat if onboarding tooling binds the form. Same pack for every seat.
Run the passes
Feed Pingpong the script draft and exhibits. First pass steelmans the exit criteria. Later passes attack from the seats above. Final pass turns surviving objections into clearer fields, a published acceptance SLA, or a hold. Delete invented "reps already capture this" claims and dual-counted handoff rates.
Force a day-after narrative: what happens if a new CSM screenshots mismatched context notes, if sales still teaches Slack-only handoffs, or if implementation cannot list the open environment gaps. If those stories are stronger than your mitigation plan, fix the package before you publish it. Separate a handoff script from a customer success playbook or a content ops handoff so each decision stays testable.
Ask every seat to mark which fields are optional in practice. Optional technical context fields become skipped within a month if nobody names the owner and the time box. Related: war-game an account plan, war-game an onboarding checklist, pretend you are the customer success lead, pretend you are the implementation lead, and the war-game decisions hub. Process: how to run a Pingpong.