Employee Leaving? Use This 12-Week Knowledge Transfer Plan

The Plan: 12 Weeks to Transfer Everything

When someone quits, all their expertise walks out the door unless you capture it. Here’s how to actually transfer knowledge—both the stuff that’s written down and the stuff that’s only in their head.

The 4-Phase Plan

Phase 1: Figure Out What They Know (Weeks 1-2)

Make a list of everything:

Easy stuff to document:

• Standard operating procedures and processes
• System access and credentials (document what, not passwords)
• Project status and next steps for ongoing work
• File locations and organizational structure
• Templates, tools, and resources used regularly
• Reports: what, when, who receives, how to generate
• Calendar commitments and recurring meetings
• Budget information and financial responsibilities

Hard stuff (only in their head):

• Troubleshooting approaches for common problems
• Unwritten rules and workarounds
• Decision-making criteria and judgment calls
• Relationship context (who to ask for what, who works well together)
• Historical context and “why we do it this way”
• Red flags and warning signs to watch for
• Seasonal patterns and timing considerations
• Political dynamics and stakeholder management

People they know: Key contacts inside, outside relationships, decision makers, experts, their informal network.

Phase 2: Write It Down (Weeks 3-6)

Do these in order:

How to write a process doc: Title, how often it happens, why it matters, what you need first, step-by-step with screenshots, what to do when it breaks, who to call, related stuff.

Phase 3: Actually Transfer It (Weeks 7-10)

How to do it:

• Easy stuff: Review docs, demo systems, walk through templates, review calendar
• Hard stuff: Shadow them for 1-2 days, reverse shadow, talk through scenarios, meet their contacts

Week-by-week breakdown:

• Weeks 7-8: 50% shadowing, 30% reviewing docs, 20% practicing
• Week 9: 50% guided practice, 30% doing it themselves, 20% meeting people
• Week 10: 70% on their own, 20% check-ins, 10% filling gaps

Phase 4: Make Sure It Worked (Weeks 11-12)

Check these: New person can explain processes, does tasks solo, knows who to call, has system access, been to the meetings, stakeholders aren’t freaking out.

• Transfer system ownership and permissions
• Update distribution lists and contact directories
• Archive departing employee’s files to shared location
• Schedule follow-up check-in 30 days after departure
• Document any remaining knowledge gaps for future attention

How to Transfer the Stuff That’s Only in Their Head

What Is This “Tacit Knowledge” Thing?

It’s the judgment calls, instincts, and expertise they can’t just write down.

Like what:

Technical judgment:

• Experienced developer knows code smell indicating deeper problems
• Veteran nurse recognizes subtle patient changes before crisis
• Senior accountant spots transaction patterns suggesting fraud
• Machinist hears equipment vibration indicating maintenance need

Relationship knowledge:

• Which stakeholders need advance warning versus surprise announcements
• Customer history explaining why account requires special handling
• Vendor relationships that give you negotiating power
• Internal politics affecting project approval likelihood

Problem-solving expertise:

• Diagnostic approaches for complex troubleshooting
• Pattern recognition from years of similar situations
• Intuition about which solutions work in which contexts
• Risk assessment based on accumulated experience

How Do You Actually Capture This Stuff?

Ask them to explain their thinking:

• “Walk me through how you diagnosed that problem”
• “What made you decide to approach it that way?”
• “What signals told you this was urgent versus routine?”
• “Who did you contact and why them specifically?”
• “What would make you worried about this situation?”

Give them scenarios:

Present real situations and have them walk through:

• How they’d figure out what’s wrong
• What they’d look at
• Who they’d call and when
• What they’d expect to happen
• What could go sideways

Debrief after stuff happens:

After complex situations, ask:

• What went down and what they did
• Why they made those calls
• What else they thought about
• What they learned
• What they’d do different next time

Write down the patterns:

Capture their rules of thumb:

• “If X happens, Y is probably coming”
• “When customer says A, they mean B”
• “This error message actually means something totally different”
• “When you see these three things together, escalate immediately”

Shift-based companies can use digital handoff systems to capture knowledge across shifts—so expertise doesn’t walk out when key people leave. Knowledge managers run transfer processes and make sure captured knowledge gets into knowledge bases and wikis where everyone can use it.

How Long This Takes (Depends on the Situation)

Planned Departure (Retirement/Promotion)

Best case: 6-12 months notice:

6-4 months out:

• Find or hire their replacement
• List what they know
• Start documenting critical stuff
• Figure out what the new person needs to learn

3-1 months out:

• Intensive knowledge transfer
• Formal mentoring and shadowing
• Introduce them to key people
• Make sure they’re ready

Last month:

• Gradually hand off with less supervision
• Tell stakeholders what’s happening
• Fill final gaps
• Plan for follow-up questions

Short Notice (Someone Quits)

2-4 weeks notice:

Week 1: Figure out priorities

• What’s most critical right now?
• Document the absolute essentials
• List key contacts with notes
• Status update on all projects

Week 2: Go hard on transfer

• Daily sessions
• Document fast
• Intro to key people
• Accept you won’t get everything

Weeks 3-4: Practice and handoff

• New person practices with coaching
• Tell stakeholders what’s happening
• Document final stuff
• Try to stay in touch after they leave

Emergency (They’re Gone Tomorrow)

No notice:

Right now:

• Get into their files, emails, calendar, notes
• Ask coworkers what they did
• Tell stakeholders what happened
• Deal with urgent stuff first
• Write down what you don’t know

First week:

• Piece together knowledge from what’s left
• Assign temporary owners
• Try to reach the person who left
• Learn by doing (with help)

Long term:

• Build knowledge through trial and error
• Document what you learn
• Fix processes so you’re not dependent on one person

Mistakes You’re Probably Making

Waiting until the last minute Start 6-12 months before planned departures. Even if someone quits suddenly, start immediately—don’t wait.

Only writing down procedures Procedures aren’t enough. Capture tacit knowledge through shadowing, mentoring, and talking through scenarios.

Not introducing people Introduce the new person to key contacts with context. Relationships don’t automatically transfer.

Thinking reading is learning Make them actually do it. Reading docs isn’t the same as doing the job.

No follow-up after they leave Schedule 30 and 60-day check-ins. Keep a way to ask questions if possible.

Trying to document everything You don’t have time. Critical stuff first, nice-to-know last.

How to Know If It Worked

What you did:

• How much critical knowledge got documented?
• Hours spent transferring
• Shadowing sessions completed
• People introduced

What happened:

• How long until new person’s fully productive? (Good transfer cuts this in half)
• Error rates during transition
• How often they had to escalate or ask for outside help
• Stakeholders happy with the transition?
• Nothing fell through the cracks?

Check at 90 days:

• New person doing the job well?
• Gaps found and filled?
• Relationships working?
• No major surprises or failures?

Track this across all transitions—you’ll figure out which roles need more time or better succession planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a knowledge transfer plan include?

List of critical knowledge at risk. Documentation checklist for processes and contacts. Timeline with phases for documentation and mentoring. Methods for capturing both easy and hard-to-document knowledge. Who’s taking over. Shadowing schedule. Plan to introduce them to key people. Follow-up after they leave.

How long should knowledge transfer take?

12 weeks for planned departures: weeks 1-2 figure out what they know, weeks 3-6 document it, weeks 7-10 actively transfer with shadowing and mentoring, weeks 11-12 validate and hand off. Short-notice situations (2-4 weeks) compress this by prioritizing the most critical stuff. Complex roles may take longer.

How do you transfer tacit knowledge?

Shadow them doing their job. Set up mentoring over time. Have them practice with supervision and feedback. Work through real problems together. Talk through scenarios to understand how they decide. Debrief after complex situations to hear their thought process. Introduce them to contacts with context about each relationship.

What happens if employee leaves without knowledge transfer?

Productivity tanks while the new person learns by trial and error. Critical stuff gets done wrong or forgotten. Relationships and context disappear. Same mistakes keep happening. Team wastes time answering questions. Full productivity takes 6-12+ months instead of 2-3 months with proper transfer.

What’s the difference between explicit and tacit knowledge?

Explicit = easy to write down. Facts, procedures, data, step-by-step processes. Tacit = hard to document. Personal expertise, intuition, judgment from experience. Troubleshooting approaches, relationship context. Explicit just needs documentation. Tacit needs observation and mentoring.

Who is responsible for knowledge transfer?

Person leaving shares knowledge. New person actively learns and asks questions. Manager makes sure it happens, tracks progress, validates readiness. HR or knowledge managers provide templates and facilitation.

What is the biggest knowledge transfer mistake?

Waiting until they’re about to leave. Start 6-12 months ahead for planned departures. Build knowledge bases and wikis now, before knowledge is at risk.