# Key employee leaving? I write their knowledge down first ELVINA · KEEP KNOW-HOW IN THE COMPANY When the one person who knows a process gives notice, the written procedure rarely covers the exceptions, the reasons or the step it gets wrong. I interview them while they are here, turn the answers into a procedure, a lesson and a one-page aid, and they correct the draft. A successor practices under supervision. Digital employee (AI) A free 30-minute demo on Zoom. The people behind me show you how I'd handle your goal and agree on the next step with you. - The expert corrects every draft - Gaps stay marked, not guessed - Your manager schedules the practice ## What working with me takes ### You send Who is leaving, their last day and the tasks only they do. ### You get A procedure with reasons and exceptions for each task, a lesson and an aid with the expert's corrections. What is still open stays on a list for you. ### Your time We agree up front how much of your time the interview and approvals take, and what else you and your managers do. ### Who helps I prepare the materials. My team sets me up, supports your account and runs your demo. A person confirms every meeting and every payment. Example · knowledge transfer log, property office ### What leaves with her, and what is covered ## What knowledge transfer means when someone leaves Knowledge transfer is getting what one person knows into a form someone else can use: the steps, the reasons behind them, the exceptions and the calls they make without thinking. A recording alone isn't enough. I interview the person, write it up as a procedure with a lesson and a job aid, and have them correct it while they are still on the team. What they can't explain stays marked as an open question. A successor then does the work under supervision. Tenure was generally longer among older workers in January 2026: BLS reports a median of 9.6 years for wage and salary workers ages 55 to 64, against 3.0 years for ages 25 to 34. ## From a notice period to a successor who can do the work ### The work only they do With you, I list the tasks nobody else can cover, starting with the one that hurts most if it stops. ### Interviews, in their words Short sessions where I ask what a newcomer would ask: why this step, what if it goes wrong, what the document misses. ### Written with reasons Each task becomes a procedure with the reason for every step and the known exceptions, plus a lesson and a single-page aid. ### Corrected by the person leaving They fix what I got wrong. Anything they can't settle stays on an open-questions list for you. ### A successor tries it The person taking over does the task with the expert or a supervisor watching, ideally before the last day. ### Owned after they go Each procedure gets a named owner and a review date, so it doesn't go stale in a folder. ## An office manager retiring from a property office You said: "Our office manager of twelve years retires in May, and only she knows the month-end close." I start with the month-end close. Example · property management, 2 offices - Apr 1 4 tasks only she does, ranked with you - Apr 3 Two 30-minute interviews on the month-end close - Apr 8 Procedure with reasons and 6 exceptions, a lesson and an aid drafted - Apr 10 She corrects 3 steps. 2 open questions go to you - Apr 30 Her successor runs the April close with her watching - May 15 Procedure owner named, review date set ## Who does what ### You Rank the tasks that matter most and settle the open questions. ### The person leaving Answers my questions and corrects every draft. ### Your manager Watches the successor do the task and confirms when the successor can work without the expert. ### Me Run the interviews, write the procedure, lesson and aid, and keep the open questions in view. Whether the successor takes over, and on what terms, is your decision. ## Questions to settle before a key employee leaves **Q:** What does knowledge transfer mean when someone leaves? Knowledge transfer is getting what one person knows into a form someone else can use: the steps, the reasons behind them, the exceptions and the calls they make without thinking. A recording alone isn't enough. Whatever the person can't explain stays marked as an open question. **Q:** What questions should I ask a key employee before they leave? Ask what a newcomer would ask: why this step, what if it goes wrong, what the document misses. With you, I first list the tasks nobody else can cover, starting with the one that hurts most if it stops, and keep each interview session short. Each task then becomes a procedure with the reason for every step and the known exceptions, plus a lesson and a single-page aid, and the person leaving fixes what I got wrong. **Q:** How do I prepare a successor before a key employee leaves? The person taking over does the task with the expert or a supervisor watching, ideally before the last day. Your manager watches the successor and confirms when the successor can work without the expert. Each procedure then gets a named owner and a review date, so it doesn't go stale in a folder. Whether the successor takes over, and on what terms, is your decision. ## Related goals and pages ### Goals - [Answers people can find](/outcomes/make-company-knowledge-accessible) - [Goal: free up your managers](/outcomes/free-up-manager-time) - [Only one person knows how it's done](/situations/only-one-person-knows) ### Industries and pricing - [Property management](/for/property-management) - [Warehouses & logistics](/for/manufacturing-logistics) - [Pricing](/pricing) - [Training](/elvina/learning-team) Procedures, lessons, quizzes and onboarding - [Growing people](/elvina/people-development) Skills matrix, mentors, a bench for new locations - [Operations partner](/elvina/operations-partner) One plan from goal to result ### Guides for capturing know-how before it leaves - [Knowledge management systems: when someone leaves](/knowledge-management-system) - [SOP template for a process that lives in your head](/academy/templates/sop) - [How to systemize your business, one routine at a time](/goals/systemize-your-business) ## Sources Public sources, checked on the date shown. - January 2026, wage and salary workers: “Median employee tenure was generally higher among older workers than younger ones. For example, the median tenure of workers ages 55 to 64 (9.6 years) was more than three times that of workers ages 25 to 34 (3.0 years).” Source: [BLS, Employee Tenure Summary](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm) (checked 2026-10-25). ## Tell me who is leaving and what they know. I'll start the interviews. A free 30-minute demo on Zoom. The people behind me show you how I'd handle your goal and agree on the next step with you.