Skip to content

Knowledge Transfer

Source: Playbook v2 EN — Ch. 9 · Charter doc (Melers)

How to use: When a deal closes, copy the Trello KT Scrum/KanBan wall. For each EPIC below, create a card on the new board and break out its tasks into the TO DO column when the time comes. The charter is the source of truth — not email, not WhatsApp.

Project Charter

Field Content
Theme Knowledge Transfer & Recruitment × 3
Project scope [X] person-days / [Y] work hours
Deliverables [list key deliverables]
Stakeholders New owners · Seller · Key staff · Bank contact · Accountant
Constraints Distance to business · Team technical skills · Time pressure · Budget
SMART Goal By [DATE], we have created for the portfolio company one (1) systematic and documented Operations Management Platform / Source of Truth that allows roles to be clearly defined and easily trained. Three (3) key roles recruited by [DATE] and onboarded by [DATE].

P.E.S.T. Risks: - Political: regulatory changes - Economic: fuel costs, FX exposure - Social: staff retention, culture fit - Technical: system migration, software adoption

Roles to recruit:

Role Responsibilities KPIs Hire by date
Operator [tbd] [tbd] [date]
Driver / Field [tbd] [tbd] [date]
Role 3 [tbd] [tbd] [date]

Budget: Tracking sheet to be created — estimated under €1,000.

EPICs

Each EPIC becomes a Trello card. Tasks inside it go into TO DO when the EPIC is activated. New owners need to take control and ownership of the business — the goal is to know where key information is stored, continue operations "as is", and train new key staff with this knowledge.

EPIC 1 — Banking Transfer & Setup

  • Transfer Aktia bank account ownership and logins
  • Transfer iZettle / PayPal — account ownership + logins
  • Transfer Viva Wallet

EPIC 2 — Daily Ops

  • Sales, email (myynti@company.fi), pricing list & CRM setup (CRM management + proposal sending)
  • Marketing: website setup, minimum marketing apps setup with customer data
  • Team: issue new work contracts, define roles & KPIs, set up co-creation & feedback methods between team and management, culture framing (small treats, recognition)

EPIC 3 — Invoicing (Sales & Purchasing)

  • Set up new process for purchase invoices
  • Fivaldi setup — import customer data & pricing list
  • Obtain logins to old invoicing system (Verkkolaskut.fi or equivalent)
  • Define process for sales invoices
  • Create clear invoicing handoffs between sales & invoicing (CRM data → invoicing)

EPIC 4 — Recruiting

  • Operator recruitment post (target: 30–50 applicants)
  • Handyman recruitment post (target: 30–50 applicants)
  • Driver recruitment post (target: 30–50 applicants)
  • Create recruitment process & candidate pre-selection criteria
  • Top 8 Operator interviews (~10h)
  • Top 8 Handyman interviews (~10h)
  • Top 8 Driver interviews (~10h)
  • Contract negotiation & offer — Operator
  • Contract negotiation & offer — Driver

EPIC 5 — Recruit Onboarding

  • Employment contracts × 3 (Operator, Driver, Handyman)
  • Analyse onboarding tools; select best option
  • Create onboarding method for Operator role — easy role ownership
  • Create onboarding method for Driver role — easy role ownership
  • Create onboarding method for Handyman role — easy role ownership

EPIC 6 — Admin & Management

  • Set up company Google Workspace & Drive folders — logins and documents
  • Define and implement a method to share passwords safely between team members
  • Set up monthly/weekly meeting schedule with key team members and board members
  • Create a Running Costs sheet — estimate new costs arising; check against budget

Lessons Learned (from v2 EN + Melers)

  • "Boots on the ground" is non-negotiable. Book accommodation for 3–6 weeks near the business.
  • Set up the Charter document immediately — assign every task to Trello. No email management.
  • File for expedited PRH owner documentation — unblocks bank credit limit faster.
  • Share your roadmap with old owners early. They need to know WHEN things happen.
  • Set Mon/Wed/Fri as standing planning meetings.
  • You have to map key role workflows. Old owners couldn't systemise — that's why you're buying.
  • Chaotic, unstructured previous owners generate disproportionate KT challenges — factor this into DD scoring.
  • Don't try to improve existing financial systems (e.g. invoicing) during KT — stabilise first, improve later.

For Melers-specific learnings (the "I wish I had known" table, killer skills stack), see knowledge/portfolio/melers/learnings/.

Mapping Key Role Workflows

  • Create a workflow/process mapping system for every key role
  • Capture KPIs that measure role success
  • Record video walkthroughs by phone or Loom.com
  • Add all instructions to company Drive OR Connectteam.com
  • Assign each workflow to a named owner