It can be a challenging time when a key team member leaves. Whether it’s an IBM i lead or IT Director, many organizations are left scrambling at an unexpected departure. While we’ve discussed what can be done in the aftermath in order to keep things moving, there are a few things you should have prepared at all times that could make a future transition easier.
One thing we encourage all of our customers to have in place at all times is an updated Succession Plan. If your IT Director put in their two weeks’ notice tomorrow, do you know who would fill that role? Having a documented plan for who moves to what position in the event of someone leaving will remove a lot of the initial panic when the time comes.
Not only will this help in the event that a staff member leaves, but it will make every day processes easier. Establishing a ticketing system to use for all projects will keep everyone in tune with the overall progress of a project, whether they are directly involved or not. If a key team member leaves, the rest of the team will be able to reference the project tickets to keep things on track.
We get it; everyone is busy and they don’t have time to take on additional tasks that don’t even directly affect their responsibilities. But cross-training in different departments of your organization, or even just on other processes within the same department, can be a huge help when someone leaves. You’ll have a bigger pool of resources to pull from to pick up the slack until a full-time replacement is found.
Additionally, this helps team members get a better idea of how other aspects of the organization work, potentially leading to more understanding and tolerance for business processes from start to finish.
One of the tricky things that we’ve seen happen when someone leaves is the discovery that the person who left was the only admin of a program, or they were the only ones with the appropriate credentials. Trying to get that information after someone has left can be time consuming, not to mention awkward. If your organization has a credential documentation process, that information is available to those who need it.
A team member’s sudden departure doesn’t have to be a crisis. It’s unfortunate, to be sure, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Having these processes in place before someone leaves will make their exit much easier on the rest of the team.
Is your team in panic mode because someone left and you weren't prepared? Contact our team to pick up the slack.
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