Handing over a project to a new manager
A handover checklist for NGO project managers: what to document, what to explain in person and how the new manager can take over safely in the first weeks.
Short answer
A good project handover transfers status, responsibilities, stakeholders, risks, decisions, documents, budget and access, and names outstanding actions with owners. The outgoing manager prepares a written handover note and meets the new manager in person. The new manager checks the facts, meets key partners and confirms the plan within the first weeks.
Key points
- Start the handover note before you leave, not on your last day.
- Cover status, people, risks, decisions, documents, budget and access.
- Meet in person or by call. A document alone is not enough.
- Give each open action one owner and one date.
- The new manager should verify, not just receive.
Why does project handover matter?
Managers change during projects: promotion, resignation, illness or a move to another grant. When the new manager arrives without a clear handover, they spend weeks rebuilding knowledge that sits in someone else's head. Deadlines are missed, commitments to partners are forgotten and the donor notices.
The University of California San Francisco IT office publishes a project manager transition checklist, built to ensure a consistent transfer of active projects. It covers project status, responsibilities, stakeholders, risks, decisions, documentation and outstanding actions. The goal is continuity, preserving key knowledge and reducing delivery risk. The same list works for NGO projects when you add grant-specific items.
What should a handover note include?
| Area | What to write |
|---|---|
| Overview | Project goal, donor, period, results and scope |
| Status | What is done, what is late, what is next |
| People | Team, partners, donor contacts, community contacts, roles |
| Decisions | Decisions made and decisions still open, with reasons |
| Risks and issues | Current risk register and issue log, with owners |
| Budget | Spending to date, forecast, commitments, unpaid invoices |
| Documents | Where files live: agreement, plans, reports, notes |
| Access | Which systems the new manager needs and who grants access |
| Deadlines | Reports, payments, visits and audits in the next three months |
| Actions | Open tasks, each with an owner and a date |
The UCSF checklist also lists dependencies and procurement activities. For a grant, add partner agreements, donor approvals pending and any commitments made to communities.
How do you do the handover in six steps?
- Agree the date and the time. Set aside real time, not a rushed last afternoon. Put sessions in both calendars.
- Write the note. Use the table above. Keep it short, link to documents rather than copying them.
- Update the trackers. Bring the work plan, risk register, issue log and budget forecast up to date before you hand them over. Our guide to issue logs and action trackers shows how.
- Hold the handover meeting. Walk through the note. Explain the story behind the documents: who is easy to work with, which partner needs extra support, what promises were made verbally.
- Introduce the new manager. Meet the donor focal point and key partners together, in person or on a call. Tell partners who is now responsible.
- Stay available. Agree that the new manager can contact you for a set period, if you remain in the organisation or are able to.
A clean financial view matters: without one, a new manager wastes time chasing unpaid invoices and asking finance to explain past costs.
How should the new manager take over?
The new manager should check, not only receive.
- Read the grant agreement and the last two reports.
- Compare the note with reality. Check a few facts, such as budget lines and activity progress.
- Meet every team member alone. Ask what they need and what they worry about.
- Meet each partner. Confirm commitments, upcoming deadlines and anything unresolved.
- Meet finance. Confirm the budget status and commitments.
- Write a 30-day plan. Share it with your supervisor and the team.
- Make no big changes in the first two weeks unless there is an urgent risk. Listen first.
If you are new to managing projects, see project management basics for first-time managers.
What if the handover is rushed?
Sometimes a manager leaves with a few days' notice. Do the minimum in this order:
- Current status and top three risks
- Deadlines in the next 30 days
- Key contacts
- Location of the grant agreement, budget and last report
- Open commitments to partners and communities
Mark what is unknown. A note that says "unknown, check with finance" is more useful than a guess. After the first month, hold a short review to fill the gaps.
What are the safety and data points?
Handover often includes sensitive information: staff records, safeguarding cases, security plans and community data. Share these only with people who need them. Restricted case records should move to a named focal person through a documented process, not through general email. If your team works under security risk in Myanmar, check your organisation's policy on where sensitive files can be stored and sent.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Handing over a folder with no explanation. Context is the valuable part.
- Forgetting informal promises. Partners remember them even if documents do not.
- No named owner for open actions. They disappear.
- Skipping the partner introduction. Partners then lose a point of contact.
- Not recording lessons. Link the handover to your lessons learned so the next transition is easier.
How EMPO can help
EMPO is a reliable, trusted training and consultancy provider and one of Myanmar's leading names in practical NGO training, with 1,200+ people trained and 15 partner organisations. We are Yangon-based and work in English and Burmese, online and in person across Myanmar. Our project management training and commissioned programmes can help your team build handover habits that last. See our training services or contact us.
Sources
- Project Manager transition checklist — University of California San Francisco, IT Enterprise Program Office
Questions people ask
How long should a handover take?
For a small project, a few days with two or three short sessions can be enough. For a large or complex grant, plan one to two weeks and keep contact available for questions afterwards.
What if the outgoing manager has already left?
Use the files, the last reports, the issue log and the meeting notes. Meet the team and partners to rebuild the picture, and write down what you learn so the next handover is easier.
Should passwords be in the handover note?
No. Share access through your organisation's approved process, such as account transfer by the administrator, and keep passwords out of ordinary documents.