Capability template for people and HR

Employee offboarding and handover checklist

When someone leaves, your HR lead and their manager share one checklist: every piece of their work handed to a named colleague before the last day, every system on your access register removed by its owner at a set time, and every item of equipment back. Nothing is removed or sent without a person.

The outcome

The day a departure is confirmed, the HR lead and the manager hold the whole leaving on one page. Each piece of the person's work has a receiver and a date before the last day. Each system they can reach has an owner who removes it, a time, and a step to move any company data first. Each laptop, phone and pass has a way back.

The usual surprises arrive as questions in the first week instead of after the farewell: a monthly report nobody has picked up, a shared login nobody owns, a portal that never made it onto the register, recordings with nowhere to go. Each comes with the facts and the role who settles it.

Every departure gets the care your most careful manager gives one. The manager decides who takes over each piece of work. The IT lead and each system's owner remove access. The assistant removes nothing, moves nothing and sends nothing.

Who starts the work, and when

The HR lead starts it the day the departure and the last working day are confirmed, so the handover begins while the person still has most of their time. The manager supplies the handover list and names every receiver. The HR lead approves the checklist before it is shared with the manager, the IT lead and the departing colleague, and runs it again when the last day moves or a receiver is named.

What they supply

  • The departure record. The role, the manager, the last working day and any days the person will not be working before then. The reason for leaving is not needed.
  • The access register, exported for the departing person: each system, account, access level, admin owner, whether the account is shared and what company data it holds.
  • The equipment list, exported the same way: asset tag, item, date issued and where it is kept.
  • The manager's handover list. Each piece of recurring and open work, where it is kept, who relies on it and who takes it over, plus who receives the mailbox and files.
  • The company's offboarding standard. When the handover is due, when access comes off, how long mail is forwarded and who receives returned equipment.
  • Any notes. A system or item the lists leave out, or how the team will be told.

What comes out

One dated checklist in six parts: the handover, with what the departing colleague's handover document must cover; access, one line per system; equipment, one line per item; the people to tell who takes over; the last day in order; and the decisions to settle before the checklist is shared, each addressed to the manager, the IT lead or the HR lead.

The reason for leaving and every sign-in detail stay out of it. Pay, benefits, leaving paperwork, references and any agreement stay with the HR lead's own process; the capability declines a termination letter, a severance offer or separation terms.

An invented example

Illustrative example with invented data. The company, the roles, the systems, the project, the equipment and the dates below are all invented. The company is an invented 80-person management consultancy. Its senior project coordinator in the delivery team has resigned. First come the inputs the HR lead and the head of delivery supplied, in full, then the checklist the capability returned.

The inputs

1. Departure record (from the HR lead)

Role: Senior project coordinator, Delivery team
Manager: Head of delivery
Departure confirmed: Friday 6 November 2026
Last working day: Friday 4 December 2026
Not working before then: office closed Thursday 26 and Friday 27 November;
  booked leave Monday 30 November
Reason: moving to another firm
Today: Monday 9 November 2026

2. Access register (exported for the senior project coordinator)

System,Account,Access level,Admin owner,Shared account,Company data held
Email and calendar,Own mailbox,Standard user,IT lead,No,Mailbox
Shared drive,Delivery folder,Editor,IT lead,No,Files
Project tracker,Own account,Admin,Head of delivery,No,None
Time and billing system,Own account,Approver,Finance manager,No,None
Client file-sharing site,Delivery team login,Editor,,Yes,None
Video meetings,Own account,Host,IT lead,No,Recordings
Travel booking,Own account,Booker,Office manager,No,None

3. Equipment list (exported for the senior project coordinator)

Asset tag,Item,Issued,Location
IT-0412,Laptop,2024-03-11,Home
IT-0519,Mobile phone,2025-01-20,Carried
IT-0233,Monitor,2024-03-11,Office
FAC-118,Building pass,2023-09-04,Carried

4. Handover list (typed by the head of delivery)

1. Weekly client status reports for three accounts. Recurring, every
   Friday. Kept in the shared drive, Delivery/Status reports. Relied on by
   the three client leads. Receiver: Project coordinator.
2. Monthly resource plan. Recurring, first Monday of the month; next on
   7 December. Kept in the project tracker. Relied on by me and the
   finance manager. Receiver: not decided yet.
3. Harbour Road project close-out. Open, due 18 December. Kept in the
   project tracker and the shared drive. Relied on by the Harbour Road
   client lead and the client's facilities manager. Receiver: Senior
   consultant, by 11 December.
4. Supplier invoice approvals for Harbour Road. Open, until close-out.
   Relied on by the finance manager. Receiver: Senior consultant.
Mailbox and shared-drive files go to the Project coordinator.

5. Offboarding standard (set by the HR lead)

Working days: Monday to Friday
Handover document due: 10 working days before the last working day
Handover complete: 3 working days before the last working day
Access removed: 17:30 on the last working day
Mail: out-of-office and forwarding to the manager for 30 days after the
  last working day
Equipment returned to: the office manager, on the last working day
Device wipes and mail settings: IT lead

6. Notes (from the HR lead)

- The coordinator also approves supplier invoices in the supplier
  invoicing portal for Harbour Road. It is not on our access register.
- They hold keys to the plan room. Not on the equipment list.
- The coordinator would like to tell the team themselves at the stand-up
  on Monday 16 November.

The output

OFFBOARDING AND HANDOVER CHECKLIST: Senior project coordinator, Delivery team

  • For: HR lead and Head of delivery. Status: draft for the HR lead's approval.
  • Last working day: Friday 4 December 2026. Departure confirmed: Friday 6 November 2026. Prepared: Monday 9 November 2026.
  • Working days left: 17, from Monday 9 November to Friday 4 December. Not working: Thursday 26 and Friday 27 November (office closed), Monday 30 November (booked leave).
  • Handover document due: Tuesday 17 November (10 working days before the last day). Handover complete by: Tuesday 1 December.
  • From: access register (7 rows); equipment list (4 items); handover list (4 items); offboarding standard; notes.
  • Lines: 17 (4 handover, 8 access, 5 equipment). Lines flagged: 9. Decisions: 9.
  • Left out: the reason for leaving, given in the departure record.

Handover (owner: Head of delivery)

The departing senior project coordinator writes the handover document by Tuesday 17 November, covering: where every file and record is kept; each piece of unfinished work and how far it has got; the calendar of recurring work; the people who depend on the role and what each expects; unresolved problems; and the know-how that lives only in their head. The Head of delivery reviews it.

  • H1 Weekly client status reports for three accounts · Recurring, every Friday · Kept in: shared drive, Delivery/Status reports · Relied on by: the three client leads · Receiver: Project coordinator · Hand over by: Tuesday 1 December.
  • H2 Monthly resource plan · Recurring, first Monday of the month, next on Monday 7 December · Kept in: project tracker · Relied on by: Head of delivery, Finance manager · Receiver: not named · Hand over by: Tuesday 1 December. FLAG, receiver not named: the list says "not decided yet". See decision 1.
  • H3 Harbour Road project close-out · Open, due Friday 18 December · Kept in: project tracker and shared drive · Relied on by: Harbour Road client lead, the client's facilities manager · Receiver: Senior consultant · Hand over by: Friday 11 December. FLAG, after the last day: the hand-over date is a week after Friday 4 December. See decision 2.
  • H4 Supplier invoice approvals for Harbour Road · Open, until close-out · Kept in: not stated · Relied on by: Finance manager · Receiver: Senior consultant · Hand over by: Tuesday 1 December. FLAG, kept in not stated: the list does not say where this work is kept. See decision 3.

Access (removed at 17:30 on Friday 4 December)

  • A1 Email and calendar · Own mailbox · Standard user · Removed by: IT lead. Before removal: mailbox transferred to the Project coordinator, confirmed by the Head of delivery.
  • A2 Shared drive · Delivery folder · Editor · Removed by: IT lead. Before removal: files transferred to the Project coordinator, confirmed by the Head of delivery.
  • A3 Project tracker · Own account · Admin · Removed by: Head of delivery. FLAG, admin rights: the access level is Admin. See decision 4.
  • A4 Time and billing system · Own account · Approver · Removed by: Finance manager.
  • A5 Client file-sharing site · Delivery team login · Editor · Removed by: not named. Shared account: removal means the owner, once named, changes the shared sign-in. FLAG, no admin owner: the register leaves the admin owner empty. See decision 5.
  • A6 Video meetings · Own account · Host · Removed by: IT lead. Before removal: recordings transferred to receiver not named, confirmed by the Head of delivery. FLAG, data receiver not named: the handover list names a receiver for the mailbox and files only. See decision 6.
  • A7 Travel booking · Own account · Booker · Removed by: Office manager.
  • A8 Supplier invoicing portal (named in the HR lead's notes, not on the register) · Account: not stated · Access: not stated · Removed by: not named. FLAG, not on the register: the notes say the coordinator approves supplier invoices for Harbour Road in this portal, and the register does not list it. See decision 7.
  • Mail: out-of-office and forwarding to the Head of delivery for 30 days after the last working day, until Sunday 3 January 2027, set by the IT lead.

Equipment (returned to the office manager on Friday 4 December)

  • E1 IT-0412 Laptop · Kept at: Home · Return: method to set. Wiped after return, once every data transfer is confirmed, by the IT lead. FLAG, return method to set: the laptop is kept at home. See decision 8.
  • E2 IT-0519 Mobile phone · Kept at: Carried · Return: to the office manager on Friday 4 December. Wiped after return, once every data transfer is confirmed, by the IT lead.
  • E3 IT-0233 Monitor · Kept at: Office · Return: to the office manager on Friday 4 December.
  • E4 FAC-118 Building pass · Kept at: Carried · Return: to the office manager on Friday 4 December.
  • E5 Plan room keys (named in the HR lead's notes, not on the equipment list) · Kept at: not stated · Return: method to set. FLAG, not on the equipment list: the notes name the keys, and the equipment list does not include them or say where they are kept. See decision 9.

People to tell (owner: Head of delivery)

  • Team: told by the departing senior project coordinator on Monday 16 November, at the stand-up, as the notes say. The Head of delivery agrees how and when with the departing senior project coordinator.
  • H1: the three client leads told that the Project coordinator takes over, by the Head of delivery, by Tuesday 1 December.
  • H2: the Finance manager told who takes over, by the Head of delivery, once decision 1 is settled.
  • H3: the Harbour Road client lead and the client's facilities manager told that the Senior consultant takes over, by the Head of delivery, by Friday 4 December.
  • H4: the Finance manager told that the Senior consultant takes over, by the Head of delivery, by Tuesday 1 December.

Last working day, Friday 4 December, in this order

  1. Handover confirmed complete: H1, H2 (see decision 1), H3 (see decision 2), H4 (see decision 3) (Head of delivery).
  2. Data transfers confirmed: A1, A2, A6 (Head of delivery).
  3. Equipment returned: E1, E2, E3, E4, E5 (office manager).
  4. Access removed at 17:30: A1 (IT lead), A2 (IT lead), A3 (Head of delivery), A4 (Finance manager), A5 (not named; shared account), A6 (IT lead), A7 (Office manager), A8 (not named).
  5. Mail out-of-office and forwarding on (IT lead).
  6. After return, devices wiped: E1, E2 (IT lead).

Decisions before this checklist is shared: 9

  1. H2, receiver not named. For: Head of delivery. The monthly resource plan is next due on Monday 7 December, after the last working day, and the Finance manager relies on it. Who takes it over?
  2. H3, after the last day. For: Head of delivery. The Harbour Road close-out is due on Friday 18 December, and the list hands it to the Senior consultant by Friday 11 December, a week after the last working day. By which date on or before Friday 4 December is it handed over?
  3. H4, kept in not stated. For: Head of delivery. Where are the supplier invoice approvals for Harbour Road kept? The HR lead's notes say the coordinator approves these invoices in the supplier invoicing portal (A8).
  4. A3, admin rights. For: IT lead. The coordinator has Admin access to the project tracker, which the Head of delivery owns. Is another admin in place before 17:30 on Friday 4 December?
  5. A5, no admin owner. For: IT lead. The client file-sharing site uses a shared delivery team login, and the register names nobody to change its sign-in when the coordinator leaves. Who owns it?
  6. A6, data receiver not named. For: Head of delivery. The video meetings account holds recordings. The handover list names the Project coordinator for the mailbox and files only. Who receives the recordings?
  7. A8, not on the register. For: IT lead. The HR lead's notes say the coordinator approves supplier invoices for Harbour Road in the supplier invoicing portal, which is not on the access register. The register gives no account, access level or admin owner for it. Who removes this access, and does the portal join the register?
  8. E1, return method to set. For: HR lead. The laptop is kept at home. Does the coordinator bring it in on Friday 4 December, or is it collected?
  9. E5, not on the equipment list. For: HR lead. The notes say the coordinator holds keys to the plan room; the equipment list does not include them and nothing says where they are kept. Where are they kept, how do they come back to the office manager by Friday 4 December, and do they join the list?

Outside this checklist: pay, benefits, leaving paperwork, references, the exit conversation and any agreement with the departing senior project coordinator stay with the HR lead's own process. The reason for leaving is not recorded here.

Draft for the HR lead's approval. Nothing has been removed, transferred, returned, sent or changed.

Where it fits

  • People and HR, which owns the departure and approves the checklist.
  • IT and systems, which removes access, sets mail forwarding and wipes returned devices on the agreed day.
  • Professional services, where client relationships and recurring reports sit with one person and must pass to another before they go.
  • Software and technology, where one person can reach dozens of systems, some with admin rights.
  • Manufacturing, where passes, keys and site equipment come back as well as laptops.
  • Established businesses, where long-serving people hold work and access that nobody has written down.

What has to change for your company

Start from your own access register and equipment list; the capability adds no systems of its own, and every system missing from the register comes back as a question for the IT lead. Set your standard once: how many working days before the last day the handover is due, when access comes off, who receives mail and returned equipment. Decide who answers which kind of question. What the departing colleague knows that no document holds is worth capturing properly; SOP exception capture records how they handle the awkward cases. It is the companion to the employee onboarding plan, and runs in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini from files and notes you supply, with no connection to your systems.

What has been checked

Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template. It was editorially reviewed on 9 November 2026. It was tried on its invented example in Claude on 9 November 2026; the record of that run is published with it, and lists the small edits made afterward that have not been run again. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.

Testing in your environment means running it on two or three past departures your HR lead remembers well, plus hard cases written in advance, each with its expected behavior: a register with a renamed column, a shared login with no owner, a laptop kept at home, a hand-over date after the last day. The HR lead and the IT lead check every line against the register before anyone relies on it. Pilot acceptance-test preparation builds that test set, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.

The full capability template

Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.

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Next step

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