Do you know how to hand over email tasks or responsibilities to others?
Last updated by Stefan Starcevic [SSW] 19 days ago.See historyThis rule is a variation of the popular "as per our conversation" rule.
The most dangerous time in a task's life cycle is in a handover. This is the most likely time for a misunderstanding to occur leading to a task getting lost and not being completed.
Always make sure you clearly reallocate a task with an email to the person who will complete the task like the good example below:
| To: | Bob |
| Cc: | David |
| Subject: | RE: Northwind app |
Figure: Bad example - Task not directly reallocated
| To: | David |
| Cc: | Bob |
| Subject: | RE: Northwind app |
Figure: Good example - Clear reassignment from Andy to David
Handing over employee's responsibilities
If you are handing over an employee responsibility using an intranet, you should always talk to the person first, then send an email as an "as per our conversation" email, including a link and copying the important stuff.
- Tip 1: You should send each task in a different email so they are easily searchable in the employee's email inbox when they need to review the instructions sent.
- Tip 2: Cc the manager who originally gave you that responsibility so they are clear who they should chase if something is missed in the future.
| To: | Mary |
| Cc: | Your Manager |
| Subject: | SSW.Admin - Scheduling .NET User Groups handover |
Hi Mary
As per our conversation, this responsibility is now yours: {{ LINK TO INTRANET }}
As discussed, you'll need to:
- Always have a few months' worth of user groups scheduled ahead of time
- Check if any of the user group dates fall on a public holiday. If they do, contact venue to reschedule to the next available weekday
Regards, Andy
Figure: Good example - Clear reassignment from Andy to Mary
