Hand to your teamWritten for Claude or ChatGPT
Write the handover so things don't stall while I'm away
Founder, Automation Squad
Handovers get written as a list of what you're working on, which is the least useful framing, because the person reading it is looking for what to do when something goes wrong at 4pm on a Thursday. Leading with the break-glass section and being specific about what not to interrupt for is what actually buys you an uninterrupted week.
The prompt
I'm away from [DATE] to [DATE]. Interview me and then write the handover. Ask me ONE question at a time and wait for my answer. Ask about eight. Cover: - What's genuinely live right now, and what only looks live - What's waiting on someone else, and who to chase if it stalls - The decisions that might need making while I'm out, and my view on each - What I'd want to be interrupted for, and — more usefully — what I definitely wouldn't - The relationships that need a human, not a status update - Anything where the context lives only in my head - What's likely to go wrong, based on what usually does Then write the handover as: 1. IF SOMETHING BREAKS. The three most likely problems, who to call for each, and what I'd do. Put this first — it's the only section people read under pressure. 2. IN FLIGHT. Each item: current state, next action, who owns it while I'm out, and what "done" looks like. 3. DECISIONS THAT MIGHT COME UP. My view on each, and — crucially — whether it can wait until I'm back. Most can. Say which. 4. DO NOT INTERRUPT ME FOR. Be specific. A vague "only urgent things" gets me messaged about everything. 5. THE PASSWORDS AND ACCESS PROBLEM. What people will need that only I can currently reach. Flag it — do not write any credential down here. 6. WHAT WILL PROBABLY SLIP, and why that's acceptable. Write it so someone can act on it without asking me a follow-up question. That's the whole test.
Copy it, paste it, run it. Nothing here is gated.
More for the same job
Written for Claude or ChatGPT as of August 2026. Models change — if this stops working the way it should, that is worth telling us about.
