Handover definition
A handover is the transfer of work, responsibility, and practical context from one person or team to another. It should give the new owner enough information and access to continue the work without relying on the previous owner.
What a handover covers
A handover can happen when someone leaves, takes extended leave, changes teams, or passes a project to a colleague. The scope depends on the transition, but the result should be the same: named work has a named new owner who can act on it.
Useful handover material usually covers:
- current projects and their next decisions;
- recurring work, deadlines, and exceptions;
- stakeholders, customers, and dependencies;
- systems, documents, dashboards, and access requirements;
- risks, unresolved issues, and points that need manager follow-up.
Handover example
An engineering lead hands a service to another team. The handover links the repository and runbook, names the production dashboards, explains the release sequence, lists open incidents and risky areas, and identifies the person who approves infrastructure changes. The receiving engineer performs a release while the outgoing lead observes, which checks the transfer rather than merely confirming that a document exists.
Handover as part of offboarding
The offboarding process also deals with employment administration, assets, and access closure. The handover focuses on keeping the work usable. See the handover process for a practical sequence.
Frequently asked questions
What should a good handover include?
A good handover names the work being transferred, its current status, the next action and deadline, key stakeholders, required tools and documents, known risks, recurring tasks, and the person who owns each item next.
What is the difference between a handover and knowledge transfer?
A handover transfers ownership of work. Knowledge transfer is the method used to move the know-how and context needed to perform it. Knowledge transfer is therefore one part of a complete handover.
Who owns a handover?
The manager normally owns the outcome, the outgoing employee supplies context and demonstrations, and the incoming or interim owner checks that the material is usable.