A fictional handover exercise for teams who need to make responsibility and unresolved actions clear.
A pack is not a receiving decision
A handover can look complete before the receiver has accepted what happens next. Documents have been sent, staff are available and a date appears in the plan. The unresolved question is whether the receiving team understands the scope, has the authority it needs and has accepted the open actions.
Start with the current issue and its source. Name the owner, outstanding uncertainty, evidence needed for acceptance and next communication. Ask the receiver to explain what they are taking on and what remains outside their authority. A gap is a correction to make visible, not acceptance by assumption.
Keep the states distinct
Planned
An action is intended.
Sent
It was passed on.
Received
It arrived.
Accepted
An authorised receiver has explicitly accepted the defined scope.
Completed
The agreed work and evidence meet the stated completion conditions.
The worksheet and exercise do not confer any of these states by themselves.
Test a change in the plan
An original fictional learning example. No real person, programme, receiving decision or treatment arrangement is represented.
A programme’s coordination provider changes. Explore the initial gap and two interruptions. No individual case is discussed.
The receiver has not confirmed responsibility
Stated condition: The outgoing team has prepared the pack. The receiving team has not confirmed who answers questions or handles unresolved actions.
Next action and review point
Record what was sent and what has been received. Keep acceptance open. Ask the receiving team to define its accepted scope, authority, prerequisites and open actions.
Responsibility
Named receiving lead; interim responsibility remains explicit until the receiving decision is evidenced.
The receiver rejects incomplete information
Stated condition: The receiving team identifies an item that it needs before it can accept a defined action.
Next action and review point
Record the exact missing item, return it to its correction owner and set the next review point. Continue an independent accepted action only where its own prerequisites are met.
Responsibility
Correction owner supplies the missing item; the authorised receiver records its subsequent decision.
The planned message becomes inaccurate
Stated condition: Before issue, the planned communication no longer describes the current arrangement.
Next action and review point
Hold that wording for correction. Name the person who updates it and the person who checks the revised explanation before issue. State when the next update will be provided.
Responsibility
Communication owner corrects the message; a named reviewer checks the current facts and the burden placed on people waiting for an update.
All three situations are shown.
Make an acceptance and correction note
Keep organisational notes only. Use these prompts in your own document; this page collects no answers.
Fictional scenario and current source revision.
Defined scope and intended receiver.
Receiver authority and prerequisites.
Current state: planned, sent, received, accepted or completed.
Exact receiving decision, date and evidence.
Missing information or rejected item.
Correction owner and next review.
Interim responsibility and communication owner.
Next update and backup contact.
Check separately: receiving acceptance, correction complete and actual communication checked. A note is a record of a decision, not a grant of authority.
Review the explanation with the people affected
Would it make sense to someone affected by the change? Does it say who will answer and when? Does it transfer an organisational responsibility onto the person waiting? An internal checklist does not answer those questions without an actual review.
Adapted from IAE’s original “Handover accepted, or still open?” article and worksheet, source edition 28 September 2026. Public English web edition: 1 October 2026. No actual service, participant agreement, clinical judgement or formal quality release is inferred. This is a discussion guide. For a real handover, use the actual receiving decision and the review arrangements that apply to your organisation.
