Start the handover while the employee is still doing the work. Capture recurring duties, active commitments, contacts, next steps, and the context behind important files; move business records into managed storage; then have the successor practice the workflow. A list of files alone rarely gives a colleague enough information to take over.
What to document before an employee leaves
Begin with the manager and departing employee identifying work that must continue. Include recurring duties and current projects, as well as occasional deadlines, routine decisions, systems, dependencies, and internal or external contacts. Note work that only one person currently performs and prioritize it according to continuity needs and how long it may take to teach.
For each priority workflow, use a consistent record. The fields below combine NASA’s examples of documenting tasks, contacts, and next steps with Government of Canada guidance on records, access, and continued management; they are a practical template, 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, approves it, and covers it?
- Inputs and systems: What information, files, tools, permissions, and dependencies are needed?
- Steps and decisions: What is the sequence, including exceptions and judgment calls?
- Timing: How often does it happen? Which deadlines, service expectations, or calendar events matter?
- Contacts: Who needs to be involved, and why?
- Status and next action: What remains open, what is due next, and who owns that next step?
- Records and access: Where are authoritative files stored, who can access them, and who is responsible for their ongoing management?
- Validation: Who will review or practice the workflow, and when?
NASA’s report describes organizations capturing “current tasks, points of contact, and next steps,” using documentation such as wikis, and cross-training colleagues. These examples support recording enough context for someone else to act, rather than merely pointing them to a folder. NASA report
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Move business records into managed storage
Review the employee’s relevant digital holdings, including email, shared locations, and applicable devices, with the employee and manager. Transfer business-value information to an approved corporate repository, verify that the successor and other authorized colleagues have access, and assign a trustee or other accountable owner for continued management. Keep handover notes distinct from authoritative records where your organization’s records rules require it.
Government of Canada departure and transfer guidance tells managers to ensure that information holdings are handled and that a trustee is assigned for digital documents in the corporate repository. Its guidance also addresses sudden departures: in that specific Canadian context, managers are instructed to complete certain information-management tasks within 15 days. That period is not a general deadline for employers elsewhere. Government of Canada departure and transfer guidance
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- Sturdy And Long-Lasting - Designed to endure your busy schedule, this work notebook features a waterproof PP cover, double-sided pocket and elastic closure for enhanced durability and convenience. With 160 pages of premium 100gsm paper, it offers a smooth writing experience with no ink bleed-through. The twin-wire spiral binding ensures easy page-turning and long-lasting use.
- Versatile Companion for All Meetings - This agenda planner suitable for all professionals and individuals who attend meetings, conferences, and brainstorming sessions, our meeting notebook is a valuable tool for executives, project managers, team leaders, students, and anyone seeking efficient organization and effective note-taking.
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Have the successor practice the workflow
Schedule a walkthrough before the employee leaves. The successor should perform the process using the documentation, ask questions, and flag missing steps or unclear decisions. Update the record based on what the practice run reveals. This turns written instructions into cross-training, a knowledge-continuity practice also described in the NASA report. NASA report
Close the handover with an accountable checklist
The manager should confirm completion rather than assume that files were transferred or that a meeting took place.
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- Priority recurring work and active commitments are documented.
- Open items, deadlines, and next actions have named owners.
- Business records are in approved repositories.
- Access rights and continuing document stewardship are assigned.
- The successor has reviewed and practiced the priority workflows.
The Government of Canada publishes separate employee and manager checklists for departures and transfers; use them in their Canadian government context, or adapt the underlying checks to your organization’s own process. Government of Canada departure and transfer guidance
When to use an automated offboarding workflow
A shared template, checklist, and repository may be enough for a small or straightforward handover. An enterprise workflow can be worth considering when relevant documents are spread across connected repositories or managers need consistent task and status tracking. Compare options by repository and file-type coverage, access controls, employee review, integration and setup effort, status tracking, and fit with your information-management rules. The cited sources describe process guidance and one vendor capability; they do not establish that one approach produces better outcomes or compare products independently.
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ServiceNow’s product documentation describes an AI-supported knowledge-transfer workflow with manager initiation followed by employee review. It can search for employee-authored documents within a selected period, categorize documents, create transfer records and tasks, and present curated material to the departing employee for review and approval before sharing. Its documented dependencies 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 therefore depends on the organization’s ServiceNow products, release, and configuration; it is a specific vendor-described capability, not a universal offboarding feature. ServiceNow workflow documentation ServiceNow configuration requirements
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Protect privacy and preserve ownership
Limit access to people who need the information, follow your organization’s records, privacy, security, and employment rules, and make a continuing owner responsible for business documents. If automation assembles handover material, establish who checks the results and how the employee can correct or approve what is shared. ServiceNow documents an employee review and approval step; Government of Canada guidance emphasizes transferring and managing business-value records. These sources do not establish one legal requirement for every employer or jurisdiction. ServiceNow workflow documentation Government of Canada departure and transfer guidance
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