The handoff problem: why great teams still drop the baton
Even great teams fail when they don’t address the handoff problem. It’s one of the most frustrating and costly breakdowns in growing organizations. Work is executed brilliantly up to a point—then, in the transfer from one team to another, everything stalls or unravels. Handoffs create friction, confusion, and often cause more damage than the original problem they were meant to solve.
Understanding the handoff problem in high-performing teams
Where the handoff problem starts
The handoff problem begins when responsibility shifts but clarity doesn’t. A task or deliverable changes hands, but expectations, timing, or ownership remain ambiguous. Suddenly, momentum stops. The receiving team hesitates. The originating team disengages. The gap widens.
Why the handoff problem goes unnoticed
Ironically, the better the team, the less obvious the handoff problem becomes. That’s because skilled teams improvise well. They fill in the gaps, absorb the friction, and get the job done. But this masks the real issue: a lack of structured, cross-team alignment.
Signs your team is suffering from the handoff problem
Work sits in limbo
Tasks stall between departments. No one knows who’s responsible for pushing it forward. Deadlines get missed, and blame becomes diffuse.
Duplicate work or wasted effort
Two teams might unknowingly work on overlapping tasks, or worse—both assume the other is handling it. Time and effort are lost.
Last-minute fire drills
Because nobody noticed the gap, problems surface too late. The team scrambles to deliver, resulting in poor quality or missed opportunities.
Root causes of the handoff problem
Undefined ownership at the boundaries
Most handoffs fail due to fuzzy accountability. Teams often define their responsibilities internally but forget to clarify the space in between.
Without a common operating rhythm, even strong teams default to siloed behavior. The handoff problem grows when systems don’t align.
No mechanism for escalation
When things go wrong in a handoff, teams often lack a simple, agreed-upon way to escalate and resolve the issue quickly.
How to solve this issue
Build interface clarity
Map the touchpoints between teams. Define what “done” looks like for each handoff. Clarify the trigger, the expected outcome, and the next responsible owner.
Design operating models for interaction
Don’t just document responsibilities—design how teams interact. Shared cadences, common tools, and agreed workflows reduce friction and increase trust.
Create visible accountability at transitions
Use dashboards, RACI charts, or checklists to make ownership visible. Track progress across the boundary, not just within each team.
Many handoff failures stem from invisible knowledge gaps. The teams involved may be excellent—but if critical context isn’t shared, transitions will break down. That’s why solving the handoff problem isn’t just about assigning ownership. It’s about ensuring the right knowledge flows across boundaries. In Operational knowledge sharing that drives execution, I explore how structured knowledge transfer can radically improve execution and reduce friction across teams.
Establish recovery protocols
Even with great systems, mistakes will happen. Build a clear, fast path for identifying and recovering from handoff failures. Make it safe to call out gaps.
Beyond tools: the mindset shift to eliminate the handoff problem
Solving the handoff problem isn’t just a process issue—it’s cultural. Teams must see execution not as “ours” and “theirs” but as a chain of shared outcomes. The real win is when teams view handoffs as co-owned, not delegated.
Start by encouraging teams to design the space between them. Make it part of the job. Celebrate smooth transitions just as much as successful delivery.
Final thoughts
The handoff problem silently kills momentum in even the best organizations. It hides in the space between people, tools, and teams. Yet, when addressed directly—with structure, visibility, and a cultural shift—it becomes solvable. Fixing it won’t just prevent failure. It will unlock speed, clarity, and trust across your company.