What is a handover?
Also called: handoff, shift handover
Last updated
A handover is the point where responsibility for work passes from one person or team to another, such as at the end of a shift, when a deal moves from sales to delivery, or when someone goes on leave. A good handover passes on what is in progress, what is outstanding, any risks, and who to ask.
In more detail
Handovers are where information gets lost. The person leaving knows the context; the person arriving has only what they were told. Problems at handover are a familiar cause of incidents in hospitals, on production lines and in IT operations, which is why many teams use a fixed format instead of a conversation.
A useful handover is short and structured: open items with their status, anything that needs action in the next shift or week, known risks, and where to find the details. Both people should confirm it, so it is clear who owns what from that moment.
Example
At the end of an on-call week, the outgoing engineer lists two open incidents and their status, a certificate that expires on Thursday, and a noisy alert that can be ignored. The incoming engineer reads it, asks one question and confirms they have taken over.
Handovers in CheckFlow
In CheckFlow a handover runs as a checklist: the outgoing person records the open items in fields, the incoming person is chosen in a Members field and is assigned the remaining tasks as soon as they are picked, and their confirmation is recorded with the time.
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