It is always nice for a project manager to see a project through from inception to delivery in reality this doesn't always happen many things can happen such as prioritisation or a new job for the incumbent project manager.
I always find handing over hard, and the main thing that you always need to remember is that it is not personal, I was always told not to fall in love with your project and that becomes more pertinent when you are handing it over, a new project manager will always have a different way of looking at things, and will interpret what you see as an issue as a risk and vice versa.
I break the handover in to 5 stages:
Stage 1
To make the handover as simple as possible the best method is to meet face to face with your replacement and talk them through high level what has happened so far, what the success criteria is and what has gone well so far, and where you see the challenges, this gives them an overview and some things to think about before you move on to the next stage.
Stage 2
Handover the governance providing plan,RAID logs, governance schedules and previous steering packs, to end this stage you should create your own governance document outlining how you are going to handover and what the key deliverable you need to complete to ensure the new PM has everything they need.
Stage 3
Introduce the new project manager to all the key stakeholders, do the initial introduction and let the new PM get to know the stakeholders and their thoughts on the project.
Stage 4
A week or two shadowing is useful, but both you and the new PM need to review this, as the new PM will be champing at the bit to get going and you will find it odd and maybe frustrating when you are not running the show anymore.
Stage 5
Provide ongoing consultancy, where possible provide support and consultancy where asked, but only when asked, the new PM is driving the project and you wouldn't like it if someone kept interfering with your new project.
As with all aspects of Project Management the secret to a successful handover is communication.
