Office handover checklist: agree who takes over

What belongs in an office handover?

Include recurring responsibilities, the nearest deadlines and unfinished actions, not just a folder of documents. Describe each responsibility as work someone can carry out: checking the shared enquiry inbox each working day is clearer than “Inbox”. State the expected result, the routine and the person to ask when an exception needs a decision. For temporary cover, agree which dates the receiving owner covers and who resumes responsibility afterwards.

Start with the next working days, then check the diary for weekly, monthly and less frequent duties that fall within the handover period. Separate genuinely completed work from work waiting for an input, decision or permission. Record the next task due date even when the handover itself is still awaiting review; a deadline does not pause because a file has been sent.

1. Prepare one working register

Open the download in a spreadsheet application and remove or replace all three fictional example rows before using it for your office. Keep stable handover IDs so review notes refer to the same responsibility. The columns are Handover ID, Work and instructions, File location, Current owner, Receiving owner, Next due date, Open issue or access check, Handover status and Acceptance note. The CSV contains plain values, not automation, formulas, reminders or access controls. Store your working copy in an approved location.

Use one row per responsibility. Put the routine and expected result in Work and instructions, and point File location to the current instructions or supporting record. Use the document register to identify which revision is current. Record outstanding follow-up in the meeting action log where it is already managed, rather than creating competing lists. Give both records a clear reference to the relevant work.

2. Agree the receiving owner and check access

Name one receiving owner for each row and agree when they take over. If nobody has accepted responsibility, leave the status Awaiting review and ask the office manager or founder to resolve the gap. Distinguish the person doing the work from anyone who must approve an exception or output.

Record required access, its owner and the result of the check, never passwords, recovery codes or secret links. Ask the receiving owner to open the necessary file or system using their own authorised account and try the relevant permitted task. Request missing permissions through the system owner. Do not copy another person's credentials. A blocked access check remains visible until resolved and checked again.

3. Review the work and record acceptance

Walk through the nearest deadline, instructions and open issue together. Ask the receiving owner to explain the next step and identify anything they cannot yet do. Use Awaiting review for unreviewed work, Blocked for a missing dependency and Accepted only after the receiving owner confirms the agreed responsibility, usable instructions and access.

Acceptance note should identify the accepting owner, acceptance date and what was checked. Next due date is the ongoing task deadline, not the handover acceptance date. Accepted means the handover was agreed; it does not mean the recurring task is complete. Keep the current owner or an agreed interim owner responsible while a handover is blocked, and agree a follow-up review.

Fictional office example

The preview describes an invented office arranging temporary cover. Fictional owner A hands the daily enquiry check to Fictional owner B. B opens the shared inbox using their own authorised account, reviews the routing instructions and accepts on 7 October; the next check is due on 8 October. The supplier invoice-information list remains Blocked because B cannot open its folder. A retains it pending the system owner's permission check. The weekly meeting pack is Awaiting review because a chair's agenda decision is still missing. Neither unfinished handover becomes accepted merely because the files have been sent. These examples are not client evidence.

Source notes

APM's project-handover guidance discusses preparation, agreeing information requirements and usable documentation for end users. This office checklist is our own suggested approach, not APM's prescribed or certified template. The NCSC password-manager buyer's guide is a security reference, not advice to share individual passwords. Keep credentials out of the register and check access through the recipient's own authorised account.