Handoffs: Where Work Goes to Die
Projects stall between people. Handoffs are where momentum disappears.
A project moves smoothly through your hands. You finish your part. You hand it off. Then... nothing. Days pass. You check in. "Oh, I thought you were still working on it." The momentum is gone.
A client request comes in. You delegate it to your team. A week later, the client asks for an update. You check with your team. "I was waiting for clarification." The work stalled in the handoff.
Work moves between people, but it doesn't move forward. Handoffs are where projects die. They're where momentum disappears. They're where "I thought you were handling it" becomes the norm.
This isn't about people being lazy or unorganized. It's about handoff systems that don't work. When work moves between people without clear ownership, accountability, or communication, it stalls. Every time.
Handoffs fail for specific, fixable reasons. Understanding why helps you fix them:
Unclear ownership. When work is handed off, the new owner doesn't know they own it. There's no explicit "this is yours now" moment. Work sits in limbo because everyone thinks someone else is handling it.
Missing context. The person receiving the handoff doesn't have the full picture. They don't know the background, the priorities, or what "done" looks like. They can't move forward because they're missing critical information.
No accountability mechanism. There's no system to track handoffs. No one knows if work is stuck. No one follows up. Work can stall for days or weeks without anyone noticing.
Assumed communication. The person handing off assumes the receiver knows what to do. The receiver assumes they'll be told what to do. Neither happens. Work stalls in the assumption gap.
Momentum loss. Every handoff is a momentum break. Work that was moving fast slows down. Energy dissipates. By the time it reaches the next person, urgency is gone.
The businesses that thrive have handoff systems that preserve momentum. They make ownership clear. They transfer context completely. They track handoffs. They maintain urgency.
When handoffs fail, you pay a price that compounds:
Projects drag on forever. Work that should take days takes weeks. Deadlines slip. Clients get frustrated. You lose credibility. Every broken handoff adds delay.
Work gets lost. Projects stall and never get finished. Tasks fall through the cracks. Clients follow up asking "what happened to that?" You have to scramble to recover.
Team frustration. People feel like they're waiting on others constantly. They can't move forward because work is stuck in handoffs. They lose motivation. They disengage.
Quality suffers. When work stalls in handoffs, context gets lost. The person receiving the handoff doesn't have the full picture. They make assumptions. Quality drops.
You become the bottleneck. You have to constantly check on handoffs. You have to follow up. You have to push work forward. You become the only one who can make things move.
Client trust erodes. When projects stall, clients lose confidence. They wonder if you're organized. They question your reliability. They look for alternatives.
Good handoffs aren't about better people—they're about better systems:
1. Make ownership explicit. When you hand off work, explicitly state "this is yours now." Name the owner. Make it clear. Don't assume they know.
2. Transfer complete context. Don't just hand off the task—hand off the background, the priorities, the constraints, and what "done" looks like. Give them everything they need to succeed.
3. Set clear expectations. When is this due? What's the priority? What should they do if they get stuck? Set expectations upfront, not after problems arise.
4. Track handoffs. Use a system to track work as it moves between people. Know where work is. Know if it's stuck. Follow up automatically if handoffs stall.
5. Close the loop. When work is complete, confirm it. Let the original owner know. Close the handoff loop. Don't leave work in limbo.
6. Preserve momentum. Hand off work when it's ready, not when it's convenient. Maintain urgency. Don't let momentum die in the handoff.
Assuming "they'll figure it out." If you don't provide context, they'll make assumptions. Those assumptions will be wrong. Give them what they need.
Handing off without confirmation. If you don't confirm they received it and understand it, work can stall. Always confirm handoffs.
No tracking system. If you can't see where work is, you can't know if it's stuck. Track handoffs. Know the status. Follow up automatically.
Handing off at the wrong time. If you hand off work when it's incomplete or unclear, it will stall. Hand off work when it's ready, not when you're busy.
Not closing the loop. If you don't confirm completion, work can sit "done" but not delivered. Always close the handoff loop.
When handoffs work well:
- Work moves between people without losing momentum
- Ownership is always clear—everyone knows who owns what
- Context is transferred completely—receivers have everything they need
- Handoffs are tracked—you always know where work is
- Projects move forward smoothly, without constant follow-up
- Team members can work independently because handoffs are clear
- Work doesn't get lost or stall—it keeps moving
That's the difference between businesses where work stalls and businesses where work flows.
You don't need to fix all handoffs at once. Start with one:
Pick one handoff that's causing problems. Maybe it's client requests. Maybe it's project work. Maybe it's daily operations.
Design a handoff system. Make ownership explicit. Transfer complete context. Set clear expectations. Track the handoff. Close the loop.
Test it. See if work moves faster. See if it stalls less. See if momentum is preserved.
Once you see how powerful one good handoff system is, you'll want to fix all of them. That's how you transform from work that stalls to work that flows—one handoff at a time.
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