A key employee is leaving
Capture recurring responsibilities and the exceptions they know how to handle. Give the next person a starting point before that knowledge walks out the door.
Process documentation & transition planning · Minneapolis
Your business shouldn’t depend on what one person remembers.
A key employee is leaving. A longtime team member is preparing to retire. Or you can’t step away without answering questions all day. I help get that knowledge out of people’s heads and into something the team can actually use.
Available as a focused project. You don’t need an ongoing COO engagement.
When it helps
The work needs to keep moving when someone steps away.
We start with the work that would be hardest to keep moving if a key person were unavailable. You don’t have to document the entire business at once.
Everything comes back to you
Turn the questions you answer every week into guidance your team can use. Clarify which decisions they can make and when they need your input.
A role is changing hands
Plan the handoff when someone retires or changes roles. Identify the next owner of the work and what they still need to learn.
Everyone does it differently
Agree on a workable process and write it down. Give new hires and backup staff a reference they can follow without guessing.
What you get
Documentation the next person can work from.
The scope depends on the roles and processes involved. We agree on the deliverables before the work starts and keep them in a format your team can maintain.
Process guides & SOPs
Step-by-step instructions for recurring work, with the inputs and checkpoints that matter. Include the common exceptions and what to do when something goes wrong.
Role playbooks
A clear reference for what the role owns, its recurring calendar, and the decisions it makes. Link to the systems and working documents the person needs.
Knowledge-transfer sessions
Work through real examples with the experienced employee and the person taking over. Capture the judgment behind the steps so it survives the handoff.
A practical transition plan
Name who takes over each responsibility and when. Record the gaps that still need attention, with a clear owner for keeping the documentation current.
Working together
Start with one role or a set of critical processes.
A departure date gives us a deadline. If there isn’t one, we prioritize the work that creates the most dependence on a single person.
Agree on the scope
Choose the work to capture and who needs to be involved. Set the handoff dates and decide what a usable result looks like.
Walk through the real work
Sit with the people doing it. Look at actual examples and ask where the written process differs from what happens day to day.
Build the working reference
Draft the guides and review them with the team. Keep the steps clear, and make the decision points easy to find.
Put the handoff to the test
Have the next owner walk through the work using the documentation. Fix what’s missing and assign responsibility for future updates.
If the handoff exposes a wider operating problem, we can discuss COO support or HR and people operations separately. This service covers operational knowledge transfer and employee handoffs. Ownership succession, estate planning, and legal advice are outside its scope.
Talk with Eddie
Request a 20-minute fit call.
Tell me which role or process depends too heavily on one person. If there’s a departure date, include it. I’ll reply to arrange a time.
We’ll talk through the handoff and whether I can help. You don’t need a finished plan to start the conversation.