Employee retirement handover: keep the reasoning, not just the files

1. Choose what would hurt to lose

Ask the senior and their successor to list the work that still depends on the senior’s judgment. Keep the first list short.

Look for pricing exceptions, troubleshooting, customer expectations, supplier constraints and past choices nobody else can explain. Rank these by business impact and urgency.

For each priority, write down who needs the knowledge and a real situation where they will use it. That makes a useful interview topic.

Do not try to document a whole career at once. Start with the decision the successor is most likely to face next month.

2. Ask about decisions and exceptions

Book a short conversation about one topic. Ask for a specific example, then follow the reasoning behind it.

These prompts are a starting point, not a questionnaire to finish in one sitting:

• Which decision do people still bring to you, and what do you weigh before answering?
• Tell me about a time the usual approach failed. What changed your mind?
• What early signs tell you that a job, client or supplier needs extra attention?
• Which exception should the successor know about, and when does it stop applying?
• What did we try before and abandon? Why did it not work?
• Who can help when this goes wrong, and what should we ask them?

Write down the situation, warning signs, options considered, chosen action and reason. Include when the advice would no longer apply.

Illustrative example: an estimator may accept a lower margin for repeat work only when material prices are fixed. The condition matters as much as the price.

3. Let the senior review the record

Agree who will see the notes before recording anything. Explain where they will live and who can change them.

Let the senior correct the notes, remove unnecessary personal details and confirm what may be shared. AI-written summaries need the same review.

Keep passwords out of interview notes. Put credentials in the firm’s approved password manager, with access handled separately.

Date each approved account and attach its topic. Separate the senior’s original explanation from later changes made by the team.

4. Test it with a successor

Give the successor a real question and the reviewed notes. Can they explain the likely action and the conditions behind it?

If not, save the unanswered question for another conversation. Missing context is a useful finding, not a failure by the senior.

Pair the record with job shadowing or supervised work where practical judgment matters. Documentation alone does not prove somebody can perform the job.

Before departure, name a person responsible for the record. They should flag outdated advice and keep new decisions distinct from the senior’s words.