Planning template

Plan a recurring report handoff

A report can stall when the team hasn’t agreed which period it covers, who supplies each input, or what to do when data is missing. Set those decisions for one report cycle first. This worksheet helps an operations team make the handoff clear enough to decide what needs attention and whether a custom workflow could help.

Choose one report and one cycle

Name a specific report and the cycle you want to plan, such as a monthly operations summary (illustrative). Agree on the period start and end, the input cut-off and who coordinates the handoff. If the reporting period or cut-off is disputed, record it as an open decision. Don’t build the plan around an assumption the team hasn’t accepted.

Assign an owner to every input

List each required input, where the team can find it and the person or team responsible for providing it. Keep the source owner distinct from the coordinator who gathers inputs or prepares the report. If responsibility varies by input, give each one its own row. This makes it easier to see whom to contact when something is late or unclear.

Agree how to handle missing data

For each input, decide what happens when it is late, absent or incomplete. Record whom the coordinator contacts, whether the report waits, and how an unavailable value is labelled. One illustrative option is to mark the item “pending” and request an update from its source owner. Use the approach your team agrees on, and keep unresolved exceptions visible to the reviewer.

Define the review and release

Name the reviewer and write down the checks they must complete before the report is shared. For example (illustrative), they might confirm that expected inputs are present and missing items are clearly marked. Decide who resolves discrepancies and who gives final approval. Record where the report goes after approval. If it is returned, specify who makes the correction and how the reviewer sees that it is ready again.

Decide whether to discuss a custom workflow

Review the completed worksheet with the source owners, coordinator and reviewer. First settle open questions about ownership, timing and exceptions. Then consider the remaining work: does the team still spend time chasing inputs, combining information or checking the same exceptions each cycle? If so, bring the agreed handoff, actual sources and constraints to a workflow conversation. Valytech says, “We connect your tools and automate the work between them.” Its workflow page includes “03 Reporting & checks.” Discuss your specific sources and constraints to assess fit.

Recurring report handoff worksheet

Illustrative planning template. Replace sample entries with your team's own details.

Decision or input	Agreed detail	Owner	Timing or review condition	If missing, late or unclear
Report name and purpose	What decision or work does it support?			Who confirms the purpose if it’s disputed?
Reporting period		Coordinator	Period start and end; input cut-off	Who resolves a disagreement about the period or cut-off?
Input 1 and source		Source owner	When and how it is provided	Who is contacted? Does the report wait or show it as pending?
Input 2 and source		Source owner	When and how it is provided	Who is contacted? Does the report wait or show it as pending?
Additional inputs and sources		Owner for each input	Record timing and method for each	Record a separate contact and action for each input
Reviewer and checks		Reviewer	What must be checked before sharing?	Who resolves each discrepancy?
Final approval and destination		Approver	Who gives the go-ahead; where does it go?	Who corrects a returned report, and how is it reviewed again?

Save the worksheet

Bring your workflow.

Discuss your workflow

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