Count the Handoffs

The work itself is quick, but it spends days moving between people. Trace the transfers, find where waiting or re-explaining accumulates, and remove or redesign one costly handoff while preserving useful independent review.

Trace transfers. Count waiting. Repair the worst. Protect real checks.

Every transfer can add waiting, translation and responsibility gaps. Follow one actual piece of work through the people and tools that touch it. Rank the handoffs by delay, error and repeated explanation, then change the worst one. Bundling work or connecting source to receiver directly can help when an intermediary adds little.

Try this when…

It takes ten minutes of work and a week of chasing.

I have explained this request three times.

The original question changes as it travels.

Another approval was added and nothing became clearer.

What you can use it for

Slow approvals

Identify queues that repeat checks without adding useful authority or scrutiny.

Message relays

Connect the original question and evidence directly to the person who can answer.

Fragmented production

Recombine tightly connected work when splitting it loses more context than it saves.