PROTOCOL P-18 | Learning, Monitoring & Institutionalization

Staff Transition Continuity Protocol Intake Protocol

TRIGGER Before any SE, ComRel, or LGU focal person transitions out of their role, whether through reassignment, resignation, or project phase completion.

STEPS

1. Initiate the transition protocol at least four weeks before departure

   Do not wait until the last week. The transition knowledge transfer takes time. Begin four weeks before the departure date, or earlier if possible.

2. Conduct a structured knowledge transfer session with the outgoing staff member

   Cover: (a) all active cases in the Grievance Register and Signal Tracker: status, history, and what next steps are needed; (b) key community relationships: who are the trusted contacts, what is the nature of each relationship, any sensitivities; (c) informal agreements: any verbal commitments or understandings that are not in formal documentation; (d) conflict history and active tensions; (e) the community's experience of prior staff transitions, if any.

3. Document the knowledge transfer

   The SOP Builder (T-37) can be used to formalize practices. At minimum, a transition briefing document should be prepared: key contacts, open cases, active commitments, and context notes.

4. Conduct a joint community introduction

   The outgoing and incoming staff member visit the community together. The outgoing person introduces the incoming person to key contacts (in person, in the community, not by letter or email). This is the most critical step in community continuity.

5. Notify all relevant external contacts

   Update all stakeholder channels (barangay contacts, LGU focal persons, CSO contacts, contractors) with the new staff member's contact details. Do this before the outgoing person departs.

6. Ensure the incoming staff member has access to all documentation

   Grievance Register, Signal Tracker, Community Context Assessment, Conflict History Scan, Stakeholder Map, prior lesson captures, all should be accessible and briefed to the incoming person.

7. Schedule a 30-day check-in between the outgoing and incoming staff member

   After the transition, schedule a check-in call or meeting at 30 days. This allows the outgoing person to answer questions that have emerged in practice.

PURPOSE

To capture key relationships, informal agreements, undocumented knowledge, and open concerns when SE or ComRel staff change, and to ensure structured handover so that community relationships and GRM continuity are maintained across personnel transitions. Informal SE-GRM systems depend on individuals; this protocol converts individual knowledge into institutional knowledge.

Roles and Responsibilities

Outgoing Staff:

Actor: Departing ComRel Officer / PCO
Responsibility: Participates in knowledge transfer; prepares transition documentation; conducts joint community introduction; remains available for 30-day check-in.

Incoming Staff:

Actor: New ComRel Officer / PCO
Responsibility: Receives knowledge transfer; conducts joint community introduction with outgoing person; reviews all documentation.

Supervises:

Actor: Project Manager
Responsibility: Ensures the transition protocol is initiated early enough; approves the transition briefing document; supports the joint community introduction.

Field Notes and Adaptation Guidance

• Field Note — The community introduction cannot be delegated

  A letter introducing the new staff member is not a community introduction. The relationship being handed over was built through personal presence and interaction, and it can only be transferred through personal presence. The outgoing person must accompany the incoming person to the community and make personal introductions to key contacts. There is no shortcut.

• Field Note — Informal agreements are the most fragile knowledge

  The most common knowledge lost in staff transitions is informal: verbal commitments made at barangay meetings that were not logged, understandings about community sensitivities that were not documented, relationships with specific community members that were not formalized. These are often the most important elements of the working SE-GRM. The knowledge transfer session should specifically probe for informal knowledge.

• Adaptation Guidance

  If the departure of a ComRel officer is sudden or unplanned (resignation, illness), activate a simplified version of this protocol immediately: the departing person's supervisor should contact key community contacts within 48 hours to acknowledge the transition, provide an interim contact, and confirm continuity. Do not leave communities without a contact even for a few days.

Required Output / Documentation

• Transition briefing document (key contacts, open cases, informal agreements, context notes)

• Joint community introduction conducted

• All external contacts updated with new staff contact details

• Incoming staff confirmed access to all documentation

• 30-day check-in scheduled