A key expert is leaving before the project closes. What should we capture?
Concentrated closure knowledge riskIdentify the expert's unique knowledge that is needed for operations, remaining decisions, or future maintenance. Prioritize practical transfer to named recipients, including demonstrations and recovery tasks where appropriate. Avoid collecting a large document dump with no receiving owner.
What to do now
- Identify critical knowledge and unresolved decisions
- Assign capable recipients for each area
- Transfer through demonstrations and usable records
- Verify recipient understanding before departure
When to escalate
Essential operation or closure depends on knowledge that cannot be transferred in time.
The sponsor and accepting business or service owner
Example
The expert demonstrates the unusual reconciliation exception and records the decision history behind it.
Mistake to avoid
Asking the expert to write everything without prioritizing what the receiving team needs.
Prevent a repeat
Verify that transferred obligations and important lesson actions are completed after the project closes.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Projects
- Documents
- Tasks
- Approvals
Keep the closure decision and final evidence with the project and transfer accepted residual actions to named ongoing owners. See the platform
Related cases
- The receiving team says knowledge transfer happened too quickly. What now?Unverified handover learning
- We still have open actions at closure. Must every action be finished first?Uncontrolled residual work transfer
- The vendor says knowledge transfer is not included. How do we respond?Missing supplier transition scope
- Can insurance or a contract transfer all project risk?Overstated risk transfer