Last time, we built a handoff note.
We pulled the work together, listed what was in progress, captured decisions and next steps, and tested the note as if someone new had to take over.
The next person picks up the work.
They review the report, see that an important detail is missing, and add it back in.
That seems sensible.
Except the detail was removed for a reason. Leadership had asked for a short decision document, not a full account of the research.
The new person didn’t know that.
They had the decision. They didn’t have the reasoning behind it.
So they made a reasonable change—and moved the work backward.
HERE’S WHAT WE LEARNED
Handoffs often capture what happened:
The decision.
The current status.
The next action.
The deadline.
But the reasoning can be harder to see.
The original team may treat those answers as obvious.
They remember the discussion, the failed attempt, or the constraint that changed the plan.
The person taking over wasn’t there.
They can follow the instructions perfectly and still make the wrong move because they don’t know what the instructions were designed to protect
Reading your own notes is not a real test.
You automatically fill in gaps because you know what happened.
A fresh reader—or AI acting as one—can help expose what the writer takes for granted.
🔴🟡🟢 COPY THIS INTO CHATGPT OR YOUR AI TOOL:
Act as my handoff reviewer.
Review the decisions in the handoff below.
For each important decision, identify:
- What was decided.
- Whether the reason for the decision is stated.
- What constraint, risk, goal, or lesson may be important for the next person to understand.
- What question should be asked if the reason is missing?
Rules:
- Do not invent the reason behind a decision.
- Separate what the handoff explicitly says from what may need confirmation.
- Mark missing reasoning as [WHY NEEDS CONFIRMATION].
- Prioritize decisions where misunderstanding the reason could lead to rework, risk, or a reversed decision.
- Keep the review concise.
Handoff note:
[Paste the note.]
You solved this before.
Same kind of problem.
Third time now.
You can't remember exactly what you did last time.
The fix worked.
It just lived in your memory, and your memory moved on.
So you start from scratch… Again.
Next Tuesday, we'll turn a fix you did once into a playbook someone can actually reuse.
