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List the previous responsibilities still reaching you and ask which will transfer, stop or continue. Confirm owners and handover points with the person able to decide. Include any transition overlap in expectations for the new role, then review it rather than letting double duty become permanent.

You begin a new role but keep handling the tasks from the previous one. A few are familiar and quick. Others need the same time they always did. The new work is added to a week that was already full.

List the old responsibilities that remain with you. Ask which should transfer, stop or continue, and who can make that decision. Include recurring maintenance and questions from people who still think of you as the previous owner.

Give transfers a date

For each task moving to someone else, agree on a handover date and the information they need. If nobody is available to take it, ask how that changes expectations for the new role. Avoid promising the full output of both roles without discussing capacity.

Keep the agreed list somewhere you and your manager can refer to. When an old request arrives, direct it according to the new arrangement. If a transition period is necessary, review it on the date agreed rather than letting temporary double duty become the default workload.

Moving from production to coordination

An illustrative example

Imagine taking a coordination role while still producing a recurring report from your previous position. List the report preparation, checking and follow-up questions alongside the new responsibilities. Ask which parts should move and who can take them. Agree on a handover with working files and a clear transfer point. If no owner is available yet, discuss how that affects the output expected from the new role during transition. Keep the agreed list where you and your manager can consult it. When an old request arrives, respond using the current arrangement. This helps colleagues find the right person while making the remaining workload visible instead of depending on hidden extra hours.

Review the transition workload

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When the old work seems too small to mention

Several small duties can occupy meaningful time together. Include preparation and follow-up, even if the final action is brief. Use ordinary examples and an approximate effort estimate rather than trying to prove the transition is unusually difficult. If the responsibility must remain with you, ask how new expectations should reflect it. An agreed list gives future requests a reference point. Update it when circumstances change, particularly when people continue contacting you through habits formed in the old role.

Write the role-change agreement

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Written by the Painless Success editorial team. Our upcoming book, Painless Success, brings these ideas together. Preview its contents or join the release waitlist.