By Helen Butler, Simplified Operations
The hidden cost of misalignment between teams.
A common (and costly) issue we regularly see inside growing businesses is that despite work getting done, no one is quite sure where one person’s responsibility ends and the next begins.
A client wins a new job – but the sales handover is light, and the operations team spends hours chasing missing details
A job leaves the factory – but key info isn’t passed on to the site team, so they’re left scrambling.
The quote is signed off – but no one’s updated the project schedule, checked resourcing, or briefed the delivery lead.
These moments – the handovers between people, teams, or departments – are where things often fall apart.
Not because people aren’t doing their jobs. Most of the time, they’re doing their best. But when handovers rely on memory, goodwill, or last-minute chats, things get missed. And when things get missed, the impact ripples quickly: time is lost, mistakes are made, clients get frustrated, and your team ends up firefighting.
It’s a quiet cost that builds up fast. Hours spent clarifying what should have been clear. Deliverables delayed because someone didn’t know they were next in line. Confidence lost-internally and externally- because everything feels more reactive than it should be.
And yet, it’s one of the easiest areas to improve.
A good handover isn’t about adding bureaucracy or writing long documents that no one reads. It’s about building in clarity. Everyone involved knows:
When a handover should happen.
What information needs to be shared.
Who is picking it up next.
Where the responsibility clearly shifts.
It’s about creating a repeatable rhythm that reduces friction and keeps things moving.
The challenge for many small businesses is that their processes have grown organically. They’ve been built around the people doing the work, not around sustainable delivery. So even though the team is capable, they’re often relying on habit and experience rather than clear systems. And as soon as you add new people, more volume, or complex projects – that approach starts to break down.
If you’re noticing more firefighting, repeated issues, or people “not quite knowing what’s going on” across departments – it’s worth looking closely at how you manage your internal handovers.
Start by asking:
Where do jobs, tasks, or projects get passed between people or teams?
Is there a consistent method for doing that-or does it vary depending on who’s involved?
Does each person know when their responsibility ends-and what’s needed to hand over well?
Are there unnecessary delays or misunderstandings happening at these points?
It’s easy to overlook this area when you’re busy. But improving handovers is one of the fastest ways to make things run more smoothly without needing more people or more hours in the day.
Getting it right can significantly improve performance, accountability, and delivery speed- while reducing stress across the team.
If you’re not sure where the gaps are-or how much they might be costing you-our Operational Diagnostic is a good place to start. It gives you a clear, independent view of what’s really going on beneath the surface and helps you pinpoint where operational improvements will deliver the biggest impact.
Sometimes, just seeing things differently is enough to unlock what’s next.
Interested in exploring what’s possible?
We’d love to have a conversation…
Contact us on 0191 694 1349 or helen@simplifiedoperations.co.uk
simplifiedoperations.com