A good handoff makes room for every role

Illustrative story: a fictional team at two Northstar locations coordinates a service change. A frontline colleague explains what customers are asking in person; an office colleague shares the revised schedule; the receiving team checks that the handoff is usable on its shift. The example is invented and does not describe an actual Northstar event.

Small actions that help teams work together

Share knowledge another team can use

A fictional service colleague adds the common customer question and its confirmed answer to the team’s existing shared guidance.

  • Use the agreed home for shared guidance.
  • Include the date or context needed to judge whether the answer still applies.

Include frontline experience

A fictional planning group asks a frontline colleague to test whether a proposed handoff works during a busy shift before finalizing its own working plan.

  • Ask for input before a decision is settled.
  • Explain what changed, or why a suggestion was not adopted.

Help another team succeed

A fictional office colleague sends the receiving team a concise status note with the open question and the next action, rather than forwarding a long thread without context.

  • Put the request or decision needed near the beginning.
  • Make the receiving role and timing explicit when known.

Illustrative employee story excerpts

The evening team told us which detail was missing from the handoff. We added it to the note, then checked that the next shift could use it.

Fictional example

Frontline and office colleagues

Northstar (fictional)

Recognize teamwork

Thank a colleague or team for a specific action that helped others contribute.

Use the Recognitions app to recognize a colleague or team for sharing knowledge, including another perspective, or making a handoff easier.