Handovers: the hidden cause of errors between teams
Many errors happen when work passes from one person, shift or team to the next. A simple handover standard prevents most of them.
In hospitals, factories, logistics hubs and banks, work often passes from one person to another. Each handover is a point where information can be lost.
When something goes wrong, the investigation often finds that someone knew about the risk, but the next person did not.
Why handovers fail
What a good handover includes
Each handover is a point where information can be lost.
Make it a standard
Agree one short format for each type of handover and keep it on one page or one screen. Ask the receiver to repeat back the key points. Protect time for the handover so it is not squeezed by other tasks.
Start with the riskiest handover
Map where work changes hands in your process and ask where errors have happened before. Fix that handover first, then move on to the next.
Why handovers fail
- They happen in a rush at the end of a shift
- Information is passed verbally with no record
- Each person uses a different format
- The receiver does not confirm what they heard
What a good handover includes
- Current status: what is done and what is not
- Risks and open issues
- Actions due in the next shift or stage
- Who to contact with questions
Key points
- Errors often happen where work changes hands.
- A short, standard format and a repeat-back step prevent most handover errors.
- Start with the handover where problems have happened before.
Contact OPDEV · ask@opdev.org · London, England (WhatsApp +44 7440 585456) · Lahore, Pakistan (WhatsApp +92 328 2888978)