The complete handoff guide
What to capture, who to involve, how to run capture sessions, and how to review and lock knowledge so it survives the handoff.
Handoffs fail for a predictable reason: they are treated as a document dump at the worst possible time. This guide lays out a structured approach that captures judgment, not just steps.
What to capture
Prioritize the context that would hurt most to lose: why decisions were made, what broke before, which workarounds keep things running, who must be involved, and what the next owner should know in week one.
Who to involve
Name a contributor (the person who holds the knowledge), a recipient (who inherits it), and a reviewer (who approves what gets shared). Clear roles keep the transfer accountable.
Run the sessions
- Start from existing sources so questions are specific, not generic
- Ask one focused, source-aware question at a time
- Capture the reasoning behind each answer, not just the conclusion
Review and lock
Knowledge is only useful if it can be trusted. Route everything through review, restrict or redact anything sensitive, then lock an approved, point-in-time record the successor can search.
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