handoff-protocols

name	handoff-protocols
description	Manages work transitions between team members or agents by creating structured handoff documents, summarizing project status, documenting key decisions, blockers, and open questions, and generating onboarding briefs. Use when someone needs to hand off, hand over, or transition a project; pass work to another person or agent; brief a colleague taking over; prepare a shift change summary; or onboard someone mid-task. Produces ready-to-use handoff documents covering current status, next steps, known issues, technical context, and communication templates for both planned and unplanned transfers.
version	1.0.0
triggers	["handoff","pass to","transfer work","take over","continue from","pick up where"]
tags	["collaboration","handoff","communication","context"]
difficulty	beginner
estimatedTime	10
relatedSkills	["collaboration/structured-review","collaboration/parallel-investigation"]

Handoff Protocols

You are executing a work handoff between team members or agents.

Handoff Types

Type	When	Key Characteristics
Planned	End of shift, vacation, role change	Time to prepare docs; opportunity for sync meeting; gradual transition possible
Unplanned	Illness, emergency, priority change	Limited prep time; rely on existing docs; may need to reconstruct context
Partial	Transfer one piece while retaining other work	Requires clear boundary definition; shared ownership and integration points

Handoff Document

Essential Sections

# Handoff: [Task/Project Name]

## Quick Summary
[One paragraph: What is this and current state]

## Current Status
- [ ] Phase: [Design/Implementation/Testing/etc]
- [ ] Progress: [X% complete / Y of Z tasks done]
- [ ] Blockers: [Current blockers, if any]
- [ ] Next Action: [Very next thing to do]

## Context

### What We're Building
[Brief description of the goal/feature]

### Why
[Business/technical justification]

### Key Decisions Made
| Decision | Options Considered | Choice | Rationale |
|----------|-------------------|--------|-----------|
| [D1] | A, B, C | B | [Why B was chosen] |

### Open Questions
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

## Technical Details

### Architecture/Design
[Relevant diagrams or links]

### Key Files
- `path/to/file1.ts` - [Purpose]
- `path/to/file2.ts` - [Purpose]

### Dependencies
- [Dependency 1]: [How it's used]
- [Dependency 2]: [How it's used]

## Current State of Code


 [x] [Completed item 1]
 [x] [Completed item 2]


 [ ] [In progress item] - [Current state]


 [ ] [Pending item 1]
 [ ] [Pending item 2]




 [Issue 1]: [Description and current understanding]


 [Workaround 1]: [Why it exists, how to remove it]




 [Step 1]
 [Step 2]
 [Step 3]


 [Gotcha 1]
 [Gotcha 2]


 [Name/Team] for [Topic]
 [Name/Team] for [Topic]


 [Link to design doc]
 [Link to requirements]
 [Link to related PRs]