# The document handoff test

Pick one recurring question. Prepare a record another person can use without asking you to explain the filing system. Keep the original documents accessible and record what remains unresolved.

This is a manual worksheet you can copy into a shared document or spreadsheet. It is not a screenshot or a promise of a particular Alembic automation.

## Blank answer record

| Field | Prompt | Your record |
|---|---|---|
| Question | What does the next person need to know to move work forward? | ___ |
| Current answer | What do the documents support? Say “unknown” or “needs review” where appropriate. | ___ |
| Source | File name or link, page/section, and the passage supporting the answer. | ___ |
| Version | Document date, revision, signed/draft status, and any later document that could change the answer. | ___ |
| Review | What is missing, conflicting, or awaiting a check? Who can resolve it? | ___ |
| Next step | One concrete action, owner, and due date. | ___ |
| Last checked | Date/time, person or role, and which sources were checked. | ___ |
| Review trigger | What new document, event, or date should cause someone to check again? | ___ |

Keep unresolved questions visible. “Nothing found” does not mean the underlying fact does not exist; record the documents you checked.

## Filled example: a professional-services invoice

**Synthetic example.** The documents, dates, roles, and time log below are invented to demonstrate the worksheet. They are not customer results or facts extracted from real files. No real company or invoice amount is represented. References `[D1]`–`[D3]` describe illustrative documents; they are not clickable evidence or attached files.

| Field | Example record |
|---|---|
| Question | Can Accounts issue the milestone invoice, including the additional workshop? |
| Current answer | The milestone can be prepared for billing review: the signed agreement ties billing to acceptance, and the acceptance email covers the agreed deliverable. The additional workshop is not ready to include because the change request is still unsigned. Final invoice release remains with the authorized approver. |
| Source | `[D1] Service agreement`, p. 3, “Billing milestones”: billing follows written acceptance. `[D2] Acceptance email`, paragraph 2: the client accepts the agreed deliverable. `[D3] Workshop change request`, p. 1: additional workshop proposed; approval area blank. |
| Version | `[D1]` signed v1, dated 2026-08-10; `[D2]` received 2026-09-07; `[D3]` draft v2, dated 2026-09-06. No approved workshop change is present in this illustrative packet. |
| Review | The project lead must establish whether the workshop was approved elsewhere. The invoice approver must check the milestone and applicable billing terms before release. |
| Next step | Accounts prepares the milestone invoice for approval and leaves the workshop out of the draft. Project lead supplies the approved change or confirms it remains unapproved by 2026-09-09 at 12:00. |
| Last checked | 2026-09-08 at 10:00, Accounts role. Checked `[D1]`, `[D2]`, and `[D3]`; no other mailbox or project folder was checked. |
| Review trigger | An approved change arrives; the client revises acceptance; a newer agreement appears; or the invoice reaches final approval. |

## Record active work and waiting separately

Active time is time someone spends doing the work. Waiting is elapsed time when progress depends on someone or something else. Keep them separate; do not call the combined total “staff time saved.” If several people work in parallel, record their active minutes individually and avoid double-counting the same waiting interval.

| Measure | Blank log | Synthetic example only |
|---|---|---|
| Find the documents | ___ active minutes | 6 active minutes |
| Check facts, versions, and evidence | ___ active minutes | 4 active minutes |
| Copy or prepare the answer record | ___ active minutes | 2 active minutes |
| Total active work | ___ active minutes | 12 active minutes (6 + 4 + 2) |
| Waiting for a response or approval | ___ elapsed minutes/hours; waiting on ___ | 90 elapsed minutes waiting for the project lead |
| Repeat work caused by a gap | What was reopened or rechecked? ___ | Workshop draft reopened to confirm that approval was absent. Included in the 4 checking minutes above. |

The example is a single illustrative baseline, not a before/after comparison or a savings claim. Use your own observed timings on several ordinary questions.

## Give the record to the next person

Ask the recipient to use the record and note where they get stuck:

| Handoff check | Yes / No / Unclear | What needs changing? |
|---|---|---|
| Can they answer the question from this record? | ___ | ___ |
| Can they open the source and find the supporting passage? | ___ | ___ |
| Can they tell which version was checked? | ___ | ___ |
| Can they see what remains unresolved? | ___ | ___ |
| Can they identify the next owner and action? | ___ | ___ |
| Can they tell when another review is needed? | ___ | ___ |

Improve the first point of friction before expanding the process to the whole archive.