Fix weak coordination by designing explicit handoff…

When This Fires

• When coordination review (Four questions for 30-minute coordination reviews) identifies handoff failures between specific agent pairs
• When output from one agent consistently fails to reach its intended consumer
• When a workflow's weak link is the transition between steps, not the steps themselves
• Complements Specify the information contract at every agent handoff… (information contracts) and Three-component handoff spec (three-component handoffs) with the practice component

Common Failure Mode

Designing the handoff protocol but not practicing it: "I've specified what transfers and when — problem solved." Protocol design without practice produces a document, not a habit. The next three executions must deliberately follow the written protocol to build the procedural memory that makes the handoff automatic.

The Protocol

(1) Identify agent pairs with weak coordination (from Four questions for 30-minute coordination reviews review or observed handoff failures). (2) For each weak pair, design the handoff protocol: What: list the specific information that must transfer from Agent A to Agent B. Format: specify the exact form (document, list, message, physical object). Trigger: define the observable event that initiates the handoff (Apply the camera test to triggers — if a camera can't…). (3) Write the protocol down alongside the workflow documentation. (4) In the next three executions, deliberately follow the written protocol for this handoff. Don't rely on intuition — read the protocol and execute it as written. (5) After three deliberate executions: is the handoff reliable? If yes → the protocol is installed. If no → the protocol needs revision (information spec is wrong, format doesn't work, trigger is unclear). Revise and practice three more times.