Better handoffs for distributed delivery

Teams that work across regions can move faster than co-located teams, but only when handoffs are treated as a product.

Define a handoff template

Every handoff should answer the same questions:

Write for the next person

Do not assume shared context. The person picking up the work may be eight hours away and coming online after you are asleep.

Link the source material

Reference tickets, PRs, dashboards, and specs directly. Summaries are useful, but links reduce ambiguity.

Make status visible

Use clear markers such as:

The core principle

Good handoffs are short, specific, and verifiable. If the next person has to ask what changed, the handoff failed.