PLAINREADS — HANDOVER DOCUMENT CHECKLIST

Write the handover period, outgoing owner, receiving owner, and last review date.
Keep one current copy in a team-controlled location.

START HERE
- Identify the immediate priorities and time-sensitive decisions.
- Separate agreed ownership from work that is still unassigned.

FOR EACH ACTIVE ITEM
- Outcome: What must be delivered or maintained?
- Current state: What is complete, waiting, blocked, or unstarted?
- Next action: What exactly happens next?
- Owner: Who has accepted the action?
- Due date: Include the relevant time zone.
- Source: Link the current document or system.
- Decision boundary: What can the receiver decide without escalation?
- Escalation: Name the contact and the trigger for contacting them.

CONTEXT ONLY
- Record what should remain paused and why.
- Link maintained procedures instead of copying obsolete instructions.

ACCESS AND REVIEW
- Verify links using the receiver's own account.
- Never include passwords or recovery codes in this document.
- Ask the receiver to locate the first task and explain the escalation route.
- Record accepted responsibilities, unresolved issues, and the review date.

Full guide: https://plainreads.com/blog/handover-document