Writing a good update or handoff

Handoffs fail on missing context; use a fixed structure a reader with no background can act on.

Structure saves lives, literally

Hospitals learned this the hard way. When nine paediatric residency programmes introduced I-PASS, a structured method for handing patients between doctors, the rate of medical errors fell by 23% and preventable adverse events by 30%, without slowing the doctors' work. A hospital is not your team, so take this as an an…

A skeleton for team handoffs

Status: where it stands now, in one line.What changed: since the last update.Risks: what could go wrong, and "if X happens, do Y".Next action: the very next step.Owner: who has it now.

Write for someone who wasn't there

GitLab's handbook calls it low-context communication: be explicit, and provide as much context as possible to avoid confusion. Spell out the acronym, link the document, name the person.

Close the loop

I-PASS ends with the receiver summarising back what they heard. In a team, ask the new owner to reply with the next action in their own words. A misunderstanding found then costs a sentence.

Put it where the work lives

A handoff in a DM disappears with the person who received it. Post it in the channel or thread for the work, where the next person will find it.

The short version

Use a fixed structure: status, changes, risks, next action, owner.Write for someone with no background: low-context.Ask the receiver to play back the next step.Post handoffs where the work lives, not in DMs.

Try it in Kanvo

Post your next handoff in the project's Kanvo channel using the five headings, and add Ask for acknowledgement from the + menu so you can see when the new owner has read it.

Sources

After the I-PASS structured handoff programme, the medical-error rate fell 23% and preventable adverse events 30%, with no significant change in workflow.