Prepare knowledge transfer when a colleague leaves or retires
The date of the change is fixed, and the tasks continue. First decide what has to work afterwards and who takes over the work. This sets the priorities for conversations, documents and familiarisation.
Define what needs to keep working
Name the tasks that must continue. Identify who will take responsibility and any existing cover arrangements. Where nobody has been appointed, keep the gap visible.
Prioritise according to the consequences of an interruption and the time available for the handover. An occasional task may matter more than a daily routine if it would be difficult to reconstruct later.
Make good use of time together
Use conversations to explore context, decisions and exceptions. There is no need to read existing files aloud. Establish which ones are authoritative, where their limits are and why particular steps matter.
The person taking over should ask their own questions and work through a suitable case. Questions are part of the handover. They reveal what the description still leaves out.
When someone leaves at short notice
If little shared time remains, begin with existing sources and people who are available to help. Distinguish confirmed information from reconstruction. A convincing account is not useful if nobody can assess whether it is right.
Arrange access and the availability of business information with the responsible people. Passwords and personal credentials do not belong in a handover document.
Preparation checklist
The tasks that must continue have been named and prioritised.
The people taking over, or unresolved responsibilities, have been recorded.
Relevant documents and their authoritative versions have been identified.
Decisions and known exceptions have been described.
Open questions have an owner or an explicit note that information is missing.
Required access and instruction are being arranged separately.
An appropriate colleague has tested an agreed case using the material.
Storage and responsibility for updates after the change have been agreed.
Print the list and work through it during the handover. A tick means the item has been addressed within the agreed scope. It does not establish that every task within a role has been fully covered.
Finish with a usable working version
Record what has been handed over, what is still unresolved and which additional training is needed. This provides a clear starting point for the weeks that follow.