Someone is taking leave, changing responsibilities or covering another shift. The team receives a list of tasks, but the useful details remain in conversations: which deadline is firm, who is waiting for an answer, and what can be decided without approval.

A good handover gives the next person enough context to act. It does not need to capture every event in the project. It needs to make current work, immediate priorities and decision boundaries understandable.

Start with what needs attention next

Open with the work that cannot simply wait until the original owner returns. For each item, state what is due, why the timing matters and what would happen if it slips. Keep routine background information separate so urgent work does not disappear inside a long list.

Use exact dates instead of “next week” when the timing is important. If people work across regions, add a time zone to meetings and deadlines. “Send the revised proposal by 15:00 EAT on 2 December” gives the next person a clearer instruction than “send it Wednesday afternoon”.

Do not mark everything as urgent. If the team lacks capacity for all of the work, agree the order with the responsible manager before the handover.

Describe the current position, not just the task name

Consider this fictional example. A handover item says “supplier proposal”. That title leaves the cover colleague to reconstruct the story. A more useful note says: “Two options received. The operations lead is reviewing delivery dates. No option has been approved. Check for their decision before replying to the supplier.”

The second note distinguishes facts from assumptions and identifies the next action. Include a link to the relevant record or conversation so the recipient can verify details without searching several folders.

Where a decision has already been made, record the decision and who made it. Where it is still open, say so. Avoid wording that could accidentally turn a tentative discussion into an apparent commitment.

Explain what the covering colleague can decide

Covering work does not automatically mean inheriting every approval authority. State which routine decisions the colleague can make and which need escalation. Point to the existing approval policy rather than inventing new authority in a handover note.

Name an available escalation contact and explain the kind of issue they handle. “Ask the team” is less helpful when a customer is waiting and several people assume someone else will respond.

If no decision is needed until after the original owner returns, mark that clearly. A handover should help people avoid unnecessary action as well as take the right action.

Check access before it is needed

Ask the recipient to open the working files, shared inbox or project records using their own account. Knowing where something lives is not enough if access fails at the moment of use.

Follow your organisation’s approved access process. Do not put passwords, recovery codes or private credentials into the handover document. Give access only to the material needed for the responsibility and arrange any later removal through the normal process.

Keep the handover itself in a suitable shared location. If it contains customer or staff information, limit the audience to people who need that information for their work. A public calendar note is not the place for private case details.

Use a compact template

  • Work item: a specific name and link to the working record.
  • Current position: what is complete, open or waiting.
  • Next action: what the covering colleague should do.
  • Timing: the date and reason for the deadline.
  • Responsibility: who owns the item during the cover period.
  • Decision boundary: what can be decided and what needs approval.
  • Escalation: an available person or role for unresolved issues.

Use the same structure across a few active items. Do not copy long email histories into every entry; link to the record and summarise the part that matters now.

Rehearse one realistic situation

Before the handover ends, choose an item and ask the covering colleague to explain what they would do if the expected reply did not arrive. Can they find the latest record, identify the next action and tell when to escalate?

Any uncertainty is useful feedback. Update the note while both people are available. Agree how the recipient will record changes during the cover period so that the returning colleague can understand what happened without starting from scratch.

The test of a handover is not the length of the document. It is whether another person can take the next sensible step without relying on someone who is supposed to be away.

If a workbook is part of the handover, use our spreadsheet handover guide to check the instructions and working copy.