Handoff Black Holes
Sending the work does not always transfer responsibility for it. A handoff stalls when the next person lacks context or never accepts ownership.
What it looks like.
Sales sends an accepted project to delivery and assumes work can begin. Delivery sees the message but is missing a requirement, and neither team owns the gap.
What it costs the team.
Work waits between teams while each believes the other is handling it. People reconstruct the exchange, and customers end up asking for progress that nobody can confidently explain.
An accepted project waits between teams
Here is one way the work could move, with a person handling the decisions that need judgment.
Assemble the handoff with the agreed facts and required documents.
Check for missing information before asking the next person to act.
Propose the next owner and request explicit acceptance.
Monitor the agreed deadline and escalate unaccepted or blocked work.
What a person still owns.
- Choose who should own the next stage.
- Accept responsibility for the work and its open questions.
- Resolve competing priorities and cross-team decisions.
A useful first step.
Inspect one handoff between teams. Define what must be included and what counts as the next owner accepting it.
How we choose the right change ↗Start with one workflow.
No need to choose an AI tool or design a solution first. Bring the work you want to improve.
We’ll agree on scope and pricing before any project begins.
Talk to a nerd.
Bring one recurring task, request, or handoff. We’ll look at where it gets stuck and whether there’s a useful next step.
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