A simpler project handoff

Fictional Northstar Services initiative: trial a short handoff brief that puts the decision, context and next owner in one place. The first step is a small trial with one project team.

Start with the reason

The problem

Project questions arrive across several conversations. The receiving team has to reconstruct what is needed before it can respond.

The intended outcome

A colleague receiving a handoff can identify the decision and next action from the brief, then ask a focused follow-up question.

A path from idea to learning

  1. 1
    Understand
    Confirm the problem and the people affected.
    Initiative team
  2. 2
    Agree
    Set the scope, ownership and success criteria.
    Sponsor and team
  3. 3
    Try
    Test a practical change and collect evidence.
    Delivery team
  4. 4
    Learn
    Review the result and decide the next step.
    Sponsor and team

The trial at a glance

The trial at a glance
Decision Working agreement
Scope Use the brief for one project team’s cross-team requests. Existing approval routes stay in place.
Ownership The project lead coordinates the trial; the receiving team comments on the clarity of each handoff.
Learning Ask the recipient what was clear and what context was missing.
Review point Review the first completed handoffs before extending the format to another team.

Questions to settle together

What are we testing?

Whether putting the decision first helps the receiving team understand and act on the request. We have not assumed that a new format alone solves ownership or capacity issues.

How can a participant help?

Try the brief on a real handoff, keep the original question and ask the recipient which information they still needed.