Start a handover while the employee is still doing the work. Capture the tasks that must continue, the context behind them, the current next steps, and where authoritative records belong. Then move business information into managed storage, assign access and ownership, and have a successor practice the workflow before the employee leaves.
What to capture in a workflow handover
A useful handover is more than a folder of files or a list of job duties. It gives the next person enough context to continue work, make routine decisions, find the right records, and know whom to contact.
NASA’s report describes organizations documenting “current tasks, points of contact, and next steps,” alongside practices such as documentation and cross-training. The template below combines those elements with Government of Canada guidance on corporate repositories and continued records management; it is a practical format, not an official universal checklist.
- Purpose and trigger: What starts the process, and what outcome should it produce?
- Owner and backup: Who performs the work, who approves it, and who covers it?
- Inputs and systems: What information, files, tools, permissions, and dependencies are needed?
- Steps and decisions: What happens in sequence, including exceptions and judgment calls?
- Timing: How often does the work happen? Note deadlines, service expectations, and calendar-specific duties.
- Contacts: List relevant internal or external contacts and explain why and when to involve them.
- Status and next action: Record open items, deadlines, risks, the next action, and the person responsible.
- Records and stewardship: Identify authoritative files, their approved repository, required access, and the person accountable for continued management.
- Validation: Set a date and name a person to review the document or practice the workflow.
How to document workflows before an employee leaves
1. Identify the work that must continue
Ask the employee and manager to list active projects, recurring duties, deadlines, routine decisions, systems, contacts, dependencies, and tasks currently handled by only one person. Prioritize work according to the continuity risk and the time required to teach it. This is a practical way to organize the handover, not a scoring system prescribed by the sources.
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2. Write each recurring process in a repeatable format
Use the fields above for each priority workflow. Describe what the employee actually does, not only the ideal process. Include exceptions, judgment calls, and the current state of unfinished work so the successor can distinguish established procedure from an open decision.
3. Move business records into managed storage
Have the employee and manager review digital holdings that may contain business-value information, including email and relevant devices or shared locations. Transfer organizational information to an approved corporate repository, confirm that the right people can access it, and assign a trustee or other accountable owner for continued management. Government of Canada guidance specifically calls on managers to ensure these tasks are completed, including after an unexpected departure. In that guidance’s Canadian context, managers have 15 days to complete certain information-management tasks after a sudden departure; this is not a general deadline for other jurisdictions or employers. Government of Canada departure and transfer guidance
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4. Have the successor use the documentation
Schedule a walkthrough in which the successor performs the process, asks questions, and notes missing or unclear steps. Revise the document based on that practice run. NASA’s report identifies cross-training at least one other person, alongside documentation, as a knowledge-continuity practice.
5. Close the handover with a manager’s checklist
Confirm that priority workflows are documented, open work has owners and next actions, business information is in approved repositories, access and stewardship are assigned, and the successor has had an opportunity to practice. Government of Canada guidance provides separate departure and transfer checklists for employees and managers. Employee departure or transfer guidance
Manual handover or an automated workflow?
A shared template, checklist, and repository may be sufficient for a small or straightforward handoff. An enterprise workflow may be useful when information is spread across connected repositories or managers need consistent tasks and status tracking. Assess options by their repository and file-type coverage, ownership and access controls, employee review, integration and setup work, status tracking, and fit with the organization’s information-management rules. These are decision factors, not a product comparison or proof that one approach produces better outcomes.
What ServiceNow documents
ServiceNow describes a two-phase offboarding knowledge-transfer workflow: a manager initiates the process, then the departing employee reviews material. The workflow can search for employee-authored documents within a chosen period, categorize documents, create transfer records and tasks, and present curated material for employee review and approval before it is shared. Its documented requirements include HR Service Delivery AI agents, Now Assist for HRSD, Journey Designer, AI Search, external content connectors such as SharePoint Online, and configured journey settings. Availability depends on the relevant release and configuration; this is a specific vendor capability, not a universal offboarding feature or independent evidence of effectiveness. ServiceNow workflow documentation ServiceNow configuration requirements
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Governance, privacy, and access
Keep business information in managed repositories, limit access to people who need it, and make continuing responsibility for records explicit. If an automated system assembles handover materials, decide who reviews its output and how the departing employee can correct or approve what is shared. ServiceNow’s documented process includes employee review and approval; Government of Canada guidance emphasizes transferring and managing business-value records. The sources do not establish a universal legal rule for every employer or jurisdiction, so apply the organization’s applicable records, privacy, security, and employment requirements.
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