An employee can leave behind a folder full of instructions while the next person still struggles to do the job. The missing part may be which source to trust, when a rule applies or who resolves an exception.
Use this exercise when handing a recurring task to another person or preparing knowledge for an AI-assisted workflow. The result is a small source-and-decision sheet and a practice task that shows whether the recipient can use it.
1. Begin with a task someone must perform
Choose a real question or recurring decision. “Everything the coordinator knows” is too large. “Check whether a service request can be confirmed” produces a result the service lead needs.
Ask the current employee to walk through a recent, appropriately cleared example. Capture what starts the task, which records they open, what they check and where they place the result. Notice the moments where they say “I usually know” or “it depends.” Those moments deserve a follow-up question.
2. Separate the records from the judgment
Make a source register. For each record, note its location, current version or date, owner, permitted audience and review trigger. Avoid making a new copy of a changing policy without a plan to keep it current.
Alongside the sources, record decisions: the conditions that lead to each action, what evidence supports them and who can authorize an exception. An AI-generated summary can help prepare a draft, but the responsible employee must check it against the sources. A clear paragraph can still misstate the rule.
If two records disagree, preserve the disagreement and route it to the source owner. Do not let a summary quietly choose the most convenient answer.
3. Capture an exception and a recovery
Ask for a case that did not fit the normal instructions. What information was missing? Who helped? What did the employee avoid promising?
Write the fallback in terms another person can follow. “Ask someone” is weak. “Send the unresolved service-area question to the operations lead; leave the confirmation pending” identifies an owner and a safe next state.
Worked fictional example
A coordinator is handing over appointment confirmation. The approved service-area guide and current scheduling record are the sources. The operations lead owns the guide; the scheduler owns appointment availability.
The normal rule is to verify both location and availability before proposing a confirmation. The service lead uses the draft to approve the customer reply. The draft must show which records were checked.
A difficult example uses an address near a service boundary and an old appointment note. The successor finds conflicting information. The correct result is a pending question to the operations lead and scheduler, rather than a confident confirmation.
The successor also rehearses a lookup failure. They leave the request pending, use the existing manual lookup and report the unavailable source to its owner. If a confirmation is approved later, they check the final appointment record after the authorized update.
This is a fictional handover exercise. It shows how to check sources and decisions with the person using the result. It does not describe an operating customer workflow.
4. Let the recipient try without coaching
Give the successor the sheet and a cleared or fictional task. Ask them to locate the relevant sources, explain the decision and show where the result should go. Include an exception.
Observe every question they need answered. Revise the sheet where the instructions depend on unstated knowledge. Then repeat the difficult case. Confidence alone is not the check: the successor must produce an acceptable result and explain the source behind it.
For an AI-assisted version, review source references and uncertainty as well as the answer. Keep access limits intact. A useful answer for one employee is not permission to expose the same record to everyone.
Compare that help with a manual handover and a verified search or configuration in a tool your team already uses. Check whether the successor reaches the same usable result.
5. Assign upkeep
Name who updates the sources and who tests the guidance when a policy, tool or responsibility changes. Put a review date or event on the sheet. Keep the authoritative record in its established location; the handover sheet should point to it.
Retire outdated instructions deliberately. A growing pile of old versions can make the next handover harder.
What this cannot fix
A worksheet cannot resolve disputed policy, grant access or replace specialist judgment. Some tacit skills need supervised practice over time. If the recipient cannot judge a consequential exception, keep the task with an authorized person while that gap is addressed.
Your next action: choose one recurring question and record its source owner, decision rule and exception owner. Let the intended recipient try it.
The blank Knowledge/source handover sheet is available by email, without a Field Notes subscription. You can use the guide without subscribing. Keep completed handover records in your approved workspace.
Use a workflow rehearsal to check the handover in normal and difficult cases.
For help connecting knowledge to everyday work, book the diagnostic call. You can also contact BR8N.