8 MIN READ

Successful Handovers

How to Make a Smooth Transition

Make sure knowledge is passed on at the right time.

Rebecca feels stressed. She recently started a new role, and she's having problems. She didn't have a handover with her predecessor, and she wasn't given any help finding out about the tasks and projects she is responsible for.

As a result, she has missed deadlines, and she's not sure who she needs to talk to about key projects. Meanwhile, her colleagues have fallen behind with their own work as they've tried to help her out. This has been frustrating for everyone.

In this article, we’ll look at how you can avoid this kind of situation by organizing an effective handover – for someone on your team, or for your own role.

What Is a Handover?

Every new person in an organization needs clear information on their tasks and responsibilities, and on how to handle them.

The person who previously did the job needs to have contributed to this before he or she leaves, so that the information reflects the role accurately. However, it's your responsibility as a manager to ensure that any information gaps are filled, and that your new team member is fully briefed when she joins.

The most successful handovers share both factual and subjective information – such as who to go to for particular types of help, the strengths of other team members, and the quirks of key clients (and what keeps them happy).

This kind of "inside information" helps a new team member quickly take ownership of her role and her responsibilities.