Understand real work
Get the practical rules out of people’s heads and into the handoff.
Someone is changing roles or taking leave. There is a folder of documents, but the useful knowledge lives in the decisions they make without thinking about them. Send a few fixed voice questions; receive the transcript under each one.
Questions to begin with.
- 01What do you check before you begin this task?
- 02What tells you that something needs extra attention?
- 03Which exceptions come up often enough that a new person should know them?
- 04What do people usually ask after they have tried this once?
- 05What would you want someone covering for you to understand first?
Question
What tells you that something needs extra attention?
If the request arrives without the original context, I pause. It can look routine, but that is usually when we need to check who made the last decision.
Use it for
Use the responses to prepare a handoff, write a first process note, or identify what needs a live walkthrough.
Not for
This captures one person’s account. It is not a complete operating manual or a substitute for checking current policy with the responsible team.