Write the handoff around one restart point: what the next person should open, what they should do there, and what will count as finishing that action.
“The draft is mostly done” leaves the next person with several questions: Which draft? What remains unfinished? Is the wording settled, or just the layout? A useful handoff captures the point where you stopped and gives someone else a clear place to begin.
Digital-project handoff note
PROJECT: [Project name]
AS OF: [Date]
GOAL
[Describe the intended result and what it must include.]
CURRENT STATE
Present: [What exists now.]
Unfinished: [What remains incomplete.]
Unchecked: [What has not yet been reviewed or confirmed.]
DECISIONS
Settled: [Choice and reason. Repeat only for decisions relevant to resuming.]
Open: [Unresolved question, or “None recorded.”]
NEXT ACTION
[Verb + specific object or file to work on.]
Use: [Required input or reference.]
Stop when: [Observable condition that completes this action.]
If the input is missing: [What to check or record before proceeding.]
SOURCE FILES
Editable source: [Exact filename] | [Folder location] | [What to change here]
Reference: [Exact filename] | [Folder location] | [What to use it for]
Review copy, if relevant: [Exact filename] | [Folder location] | [What it shows and whether it reflects the current state]What belongs in the note?
Use five fields in this order: goal, current state, decisions, next action, and source files. Together, they explain the intended result, the work already present, the reasoning worth preserving, the immediate task, and the materials needed to do it.
Draft the next action first, even though it appears fourth. Then fill the other fields with the context needed to carry out that action. This restart-first method gives you a practical editing rule: keep a detail if it affects how the next person resumes.
How do I describe the goal and current state?
State the goal as an observable result. “Finish the page” is vague; “Prepare an event information page with an introduction, schedule, and location details for review” tells the reader what the work is meant to become.
Describe the current state using three short categories: present, unfinished, and unchecked. Present means the material exists; it does not necessarily mean someone has reviewed it. Unchecked makes that distinction explicit. Add an as-of date so the reader knows when this snapshot was written.
Which decisions need an explanation?
Include decisions that would otherwise make the next person pause or redo work. Give each one a choice and a reason: “Keep the schedule on the main page so reviewers can read all event details together.” A history of every abandoned idea usually adds little to the restart.
Keep open questions separate from settled choices. If something is tentative, say so. If you do not know why an earlier choice was made, write “Reason not recorded” instead of supplying a plausible explanation.
What makes the next action usable?
Give it a verb, an object, and a stopping point. “Continue editing” lacks a boundary. “Replace the three bracketed schedule entries with the supplied schedule text; stop when no schedule placeholders remain” identifies a task someone can pick up.
Name any input the action depends on. If that input is missing, the immediate action should address the gap. You can write, “Check whether the final schedule has been supplied; if it is absent, leave the placeholders and record that the schedule is still needed.”
How should I identify the source files?
List each file’s exact name, folder location, and role. Distinguish the editable working file from reference material and review copies. “Use the latest file” makes the reader infer which version you intended.
Cross-check the next action against this list: can the reader identify both the file to change and the material to use? Include only the files relevant to restarting, with additional background clearly marked as optional.
What does a completed handoff look like?
Hypothetical example: A writer is handing an unfinished event page to an editor. The goal is a complete text draft for review. As of September 16, the introduction and location sections are present; three schedule entries remain as placeholders; the location wording is unchecked. The settled decision is to keep the schedule on the main page so all event details can be reviewed together. Whether to shorten the introduction remains open.
The next action is to replace the three schedule placeholders in event-page-draft using schedule-final, stopping when all three entries match the reference. Both files are in Event Page / Working; event-page-draft is the editable source and schedule-final is the schedule reference. A separate page-preview in Event Page / Review shows the earlier layout. The location check remains unfinished, but it is not confused with the immediate task.
Before handing over the note, read only the next action and source files. If those two fields leave you guessing where to begin, make them more specific.