Coordination Handoff Guide

The Goal of a Handoff

A coordination handoff is clean when the next team can pick up the package and continue without calling a meeting to re-explain what was decided. If the next team has to ask "what did you change and why?", the handoff failed — regardless of how good the model looks.

What Must Be Clear

Before issuing the package to the next team, confirm that each of the following is recorded in writing, not just in someone's head:

• The decision made — stated in one sentence, so every reader reads the same question and the same answer.
• Who made it — the decision owner, by name and discipline.
• What changed in the model — the elements moved, added, or removed, with revision status noted.
• What remains open — every unresolved question, with its owner and the next review date.
• Who owns the next step — the action owner for each open item, so the next team knows who to contact.

Handoff Summary Template

Use the same structure every time so the next team knows where to look. A one-page summary is enough: list the closed decisions at the top, the open issues in the middle, and the next-step owners at the bottom. Attach the updated model reference and the revision number. The summary is the contract between cycles — if it is not written, the handoff is not complete.