The handover documentation pack that customers actually keep

When you walk away from a finished KNX project, the customer should hold a folder of documents that lets a future engineer (or themselves) understand the system without you. The pack matters more than most engineers admit.

1. The .knxproj file. Encrypted with a password the customer holds. Stored in their cloud drive plus a USB stick in their safe. This is the master copy of the system; lose it and a future change costs a week of reverse engineering.

2. The group address sheet. Exported as PDF and CSV. PDF is for human reference, CSV is for the next engineer to import into ETS or to search programmatically. List every group address with its name, data point type, and which devices read or write it.

3. Cabinet photos. High resolution photos of every cabinet from multiple angles, with every device labeled. A future engineer can identify a device from a photo without opening the cabinet, which saves time and reduces risk.

4. As-built drawings. A floor plan showing the bus topology (where each line runs, where couplers and PSUs sit, where bus ends terminate). Mark the groups served by each actuator. This is the document a future renovator needs to know what they can and cannot move.

5. The user guide. One or two pages, written for the end user, explaining what each scene does, what each keypad button means, how to operate the visualization, and what to do if something feels wrong. Keep it short; 90 percent of what customers need to know fits on one A4 page.

What does not survive: a 50-page commissioning report. Customers do not read these. A short executive summary (one page) of what was tested, what passed, and what was deferred is more useful and more likely to be retained.