Your sister agreed to take over the prescription refills. Two weeks later the pharmacy ran out of the usual brand, and they called you.

The agreement was real. The handoff wasn't finished.

The test

A handoff is proven at the first exception, not at the agreement.

The routine is easy to pass on. The exception is where you find out who actually owns the thread. If the first unusual case comes back to you, the thread boomeranged.

Why threads come back

We use the Continuity Ladder to see how far a thread has moved from one person:

  • Step 0 · Only you. No one can run it yet.
  • Step 1 · Instructed help. Acts only with live instructions.
  • Step 2 · Informed help. Works from notes, waits for your cue.
  • Step 3 · Delegated. Runs the routine. Exceptions return.
  • Step 4 · Taken over. Owns the outcome, exceptions too.

Trying to hand off a thread that sits at step 0 or 1 is what produces the boomerang. The other person agreed to something they had no way to run.

What to do before the next handoff

  • Write down what you know about the thread, including the exceptions you have already handled.
  • Put that note where the other person can find it without asking you.
  • Hand over the authority to decide, not just the task.
  • Agree on what happens at the first exception, before it happens.

And if there is no one to hand it to, don't force a handoff. Some things shouldn't be delegated. They should be deleted.

Which of your threads came back last month?