The hand-off

A project is not its chat history. It consists of goal, decisions, material, open questions and next step. When those things live only between many messages, a change becomes difficult. A hand-off makes them usable again.

A hand-off is not minutes

It does not need to narrate everything that happened. It records what matters for continuation.

The skill is omission: only context that changes the next decision.

The five building blocks

Start with the goal. Then name decisions, authoritative materials, open points and the concrete next step. Add boundaries where something must not be used, changed or published.

A look back becomes a brief.

Hand-offs are quality work

A good hand-off exposes uncertainty before it becomes expensive.

It belongs at every meaningful transition, not only at the end.

The hand-off file

# HAND-OFF

**Goal**
…

**Decisions**
…

**Material**
…

**Open points**
…

**Next step**
…

**Boundaries**
…

A hand-off does not preserve every word. It preserves the ability to continue well.

Worksheet: Hand off a project

Create a hand-off file for a current project in six short sections.

Gather the goal. State what should be achieved.

Secure decisions. Name decisions that should not be reopened.

Determine the next step. Write exactly one next task.

Test the transfer. Give the file to a new chat and see whether it is enough.

Both working materials for this article — the topic overview and the worksheet with a reflection space to fill in — are available for download here: