A new starter is due on Monday. The induction record has arrived, but nobody has confirmed who checks it or tells the supervisor what can happen next. The file is there; the handover is still open.
The short answer: before you connect any system, agree one document handover on paper. Name who owns it, who checks it, who gets it next, where missing information goes and who decides. Use a sample record and job roles. Keep employee details and private documents out of the exercise.
Scene 5 of 5
H-01 is opened and owned. The manager confirms the role and first day. The office coordinator opens H-01, with the office manager as backup.
The induction record arrives. The task links to the record in the approved document store and notes which version was supplied.
Tracker · H-01Opened
Induction record (sample)
Opened by the office coordinator
- Trigger: role and first dayConfirmed
- OwnerOffice coordinator
- BackupOffice manager
- Due before the planning check
Induction recordSupplied
Approved document store
Version recorded in the task
- Session dateSupplied
- Topics coveredSupplied
- Supervisor confirmationMissing
The lead checks it against the list. The induction lead needs the session date, topics covered and supervisor confirmation.
Checked by the induction lead Needed
Checked by the induction lead Supplied
Session date
Session dateNeeded: Needed
✓Session dateSupplied: Supplied
Topics covered
Topics coveredNeeded: Needed
✓Topics coveredSupplied: Supplied
Supervisor confirmation
Supervisor confirmationNeeded: Needed
✕Supervisor confirmationSupplied: Missing
A person decides what happens next. You choose: hold the record for correction, or pass it on. The tracker only shows you the gap.
Tracker · H-01
Correction required Waiting for the induction leadHeld: correction requiredPassed on without evidence
Pass H-01 to the supervisor as checked?
Supervisor confirmation is missing.
Held, with the reason recorded.Passed on, with a gap. The lead records “correction required”, the reason and the review date. The coordinator requests the confirmation and sets a follow-up time.The tracker would say “checked” for a record that is not. This design does not allow it: a record is not passed on as checked while evidence is missing.
Tracker · H-01Correction required
Induction record (sample)
- StatusCorrection required
- Follow-up: coordinator asksDue time set
- ReadinessPending
The office manager receives it if it is unresolved at the planning check.
Tracker · H-01Not allowed
Induction record (sample)
- StatusMarked checked
- Supervisor confirmationMissing
The record stays with the lead until it is corrected.
End of the day Each document has a named owner, a checker and a next person. A record with missing information waits with its reason, and a person decides readiness separately.
Define one handover
- Trigger and due point. What starts the task, and when the next person needs the result.
- Owner. One role, with a backup for an absence.
- Document and source. What is required, and where the controlled copy lives.
- Ready for checking. What must be present before review can start.
- Checker and evidence. Who checks, and where the outcome and date are recorded.
- Next handover. Who receives the result, and how they acknowledge it.
- Missing information. What waits, who asks, and when it escalates.
- Human authority. Who decides readiness, recorded apart from document receipt.
Copy these fields into a working note or spreadsheet. Complete one set for each document that needs a different checker or next action. Link to the approved storage location instead of copying the document into every task. Agree the required fields with the person responsible for the process, and give the next person only the access their role needs.
The eight fields in full
- Trigger and due point: What starts the task, and when does the receiving person need the checked result? Include what happens if the start date or role changes.
- Owner: Which role is responsible for getting the handover completed? Name a backup for an absence.
- Document and source: What is required, where is the controlled copy held, and how will the checker identify the correct record and version? Link to the approved storage location rather than copying the document into every task.
- Ready for checking: What information must be present before review can start? Agree the required fields and role-specific requirements with the person responsible for the process.
- Checker and evidence: Who checks completeness, relevance and validity? Where are the outcome, date and any reason for rejection recorded?
- Next handover: Who receives the checked result, what action can they take, and how do they acknowledge ownership? Give them the status and information they need, with access limited to their role.
- Missing information or exception: What must wait, who requests the correction, and when is an unresolved item escalated? Specify the evidence needed for another review.
- Human authority: Who decides whether the person is ready for the relevant work? Record that decision separately from document receipt or a completed automated check.
A blank copyable worksheet
Copy this blank template into your working note. Use sample details in this exercise; keep private employee records in their authorised systems.
Worked example: an induction record arrives incomplete
- 01 · TriggerH-01 is opened
Tracker H-01 Opened
- Role and first dayConfirmed
- 02 · OwnerA role owns it
Tracker H-01 Owned
- OwnerOffice coordinator
- BackupOffice manager
- SourceApproved store
- 03 · CheckThe lead checks it
- Session date present
- Topics covered present
- Supervisor confirmation missing
- 04 · ExceptionThe coordinator chases it
Tracker H-01 Held
- StatusCorrection required
- Follow-upDue time set
- If unresolvedOffice manager
- 05 · CompleteChecked and acknowledged
- Corrected version rechecked
- Supervisor acknowledges
- 06 · DecideA manager decides
Is the new starter ready?Recorded apart from the document check
At the end of the day Steps 1 to 5 get the record checked. Step 6 is a separate decision for an authorised manager.
Illustrative example only. The roles, reference and process are sample data. They are not a client implementation or an employment compliance checklist.
The record is not passed on as checked while the confirmation is missing. The tracker can show “received”, “awaiting check”, “correction required” and “checked”. Keep readiness as a separate decision.
The worked example in full
- Trigger: The manager confirms the proposed role and first day. The office coordinator opens handover H-01, due for review before the supervisor’s first-day planning check.
- Owner and source: The office coordinator owns H-01, with the office manager as backup. The task links to the current induction record in the business’s approved document store.
- Required information: For this example, the induction lead needs the session date, topics covered and supervisor confirmation. The task records which version was supplied.
- Check: The induction lead finds that supervisor confirmation is missing. They record “correction required”, the reason and the review date. The record is not passed on as checked.
- Exception: The office coordinator requests the missing confirmation from the supervisor and records a follow-up due time. If it remains unresolved at the planning check, the office manager receives the exception. The readiness decision stays pending.
- Completed handover: The corrected version returns to the induction lead. After checking it, the lead records the result and passes the status to the supervisor, who acknowledges the next action. The authorised manager then makes and records the readiness decision, taking any other applicable requirements into account.
Test the handover before building it
A complete record
Every person can see what they own and what lets the next step proceed.
A missing item
It waits with a reason, and someone is chasing it.
A changed start date
The owner still sees what is due, and the due point moves.
Walk through these three cases with the people doing the work. Can each person see what they own, what is waiting and what allows the next step to proceed? If an owner is absent, test the backup route as well.
A tracker, or connected software?
An Excel tracker
It may be enough to establish the process.
Connected reminders
Check what your office and job systems already connect before choosing Zapier, n8n or a custom link.
Settle the process in the tracker first. Add connected reminders or status updates only if the team needs them, and check your existing office or job systems and their available integrations before you choose a tool.
Where a person stays in charge
Rules and reminders
They show status and prompt the follow-up. They cannot supply evidence.
Claude prepares
If AI writes a summary, the checker still needs the source document.
You decide
An authorised manager records readiness, apart from document receipt.
A reminder can help the coordinator follow up. It cannot supply missing evidence or make that decision. If AI is used to prepare a summary, the checker still needs the source document and keeps responsibility for the review.
To see how a handover like this becomes a workflow, describe it in AI Labs, without names or private details, and watch Claude build the steps. The Workflow Audit is where I map one with you: the owner, the checker, the missing-information route and the person who decides. Use the worksheet first, then bring it to the audit.
Questions
Who should own a new-starter document handover?
A named role, with a backup for an absence. In the example, the office coordinator owns it and the office manager is the backup.
Does a document arriving mean the new starter is ready?
No. Readiness is a separate decision, made by an authorised manager and recorded apart from document receipt or a completed check.
What happens when information is missing?
The record waits as “correction required”, with the reason and the review date. The coordinator requests the correction, and the office manager receives the exception if it is still unresolved at the planning check.
Do I need software to start?
Not necessarily. An Excel tracker may be enough to establish the process.
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