Hey friends, it’s Amaraj! Welcome to another edition of Out of Scope. I hope that you’ve been enjoying the newsletter so far. Today, I’m covering how to best set yourself up for success before heading out on your well-deserved vacation.

If you like this newsletter, please do me a favor and forward it to anyone who might find it useful. Thanks!

Background

Picture this: You're lounging on the beach, piña colada in hand, when your manager calls with "urgent" questions about your project. You put down your drink, dodge a curious shark (probably just wants to network), and go hunt for your laptop instead of enjoying paradise.

Let's make sure this never happens. Introducing The OOO Doc: Your Vacation Insurance Policy.

Your coworkers want you to enjoy your time off, but they need to know what to do while you're gone. Set them up for success with a solid handoff document. Here’s what to include:

Requirements

For Each Ongoing Project:

1. Brief context, current status, and next steps

2. Links to specs, resources, and decision logs

For Each Recurring Meeting You Run:

1. Meeting purpose and desired outcomes

2. Who typically drives the agenda and key discussion points

3. How to prep and what success looks like

The Critical Step: Assign a temporary owner for each project and meeting, but don't just fire off a Slack message. Schedule proper handoff conversations first. Walk them through the context, share your OOO doc, then broadcast the ownership assignments broadly so everyone knows who to ping.

Map out a clear escalation ladder with the chain of command for when things go sideways. Include contact info and decision-making authority for each level so your temporary owners know who to reach when they need quick answers or approvals.

And some extra insights if you’re managing a team:

• Confirm that your manager will provide guidance to your team while you're out

• Ask them to schedule a weekly 1:1 with your direct reports

• Brief your manager on any sensitive team dynamics or upcoming decisions

Pro-Tips From the Tiki Bar:

• Start 2-3 weeks before to prep for handoffs so you have time to iterate and fill gaps

• Set your Slack countdown a week early so people grab you now, not later

• Take an extra buffer day at the end to ease back into work (because airlines treat schedules more like suggestions these days)

Prototype

Want to create your own OOO doc today? I've put together a complete template with all the sections you need—just make a copy and fill in your details.

Now go enjoy that vacation—and don't forget to drop in photos so your coworkers get jealous and secretly resent you.

Reply to this email with any other pre-vacation tricks that you use!

Meme