AIBU to think my handover should actually be a handover, not me being snapped at?

But if you’re right and things weren’t going well for her in the role, and your bosses weren’t exactly devastated to see her go, why are you expecting an amazingly detailed and flawless handover? It shouldn’t be a surprise if you’re replacing someone who, for whatever reason, isn’t working out in the role, that their version of how to do it isn’t what you should be following.

Look at it from her point of view. She’s resigned from her job and, instead of her bosses trying to persuade her to stay, they pretty much say “Great - now we can hire that consultant we like”. And then she finds that on top of that, her replacement isn’t ready to hit the ground running, but needs a huge amount of her time and expects to have the job explained to her in minute detail. Plus, presumably she’s still trying to actually do the job on top of all this handover time?

She's probably already mentally checked out, and I can’t say I blame her. What do you think going to the CEO and complaining about the handover will achieve? He’s hardly going to threaten her with disciplinary action if she doesn’t pull her socks up. It’s not like she’s going to be worried about losing her job!

If they wanted things done her way, they’d be trying to keep her. You need to work out how to do it your way.

If you're new to the company it's your opportunity to find out who else knows this stuff - surely she's not the only one who does, and if she is that's a huge issue that needs to be addressed.

15 hours is a lot, and I’m not particularly surprised. I’ve been in exactly your situation of moving into a consulting role where it is recognised that there will be some gaps in technical knowledge, but overall my skill sets and background make me a good fit. The answer is you get on with it and learn from those around you in the first few weeks who are usually all too happy to support you and bring you up to speed with any specific gaps.

This.
Be guided by your job description, not by what she has been doing up until now.

If this is a senior role, I would expect a lot of the technical stuff to be done by the juniors. Perhaps her job got too big because she never delegated?

You are presumably inheriting a team, so lean on them to show you how to do things, and wherever possible delegate. Expect pushback - they won't want to take on any extra work that your predecessor used to do. But part of stepping up is learning how to manage juniors.

Also, in the first few months lean a bit (not too much) on your line manager. They should be steering you as to what the priorities are, what they need, and who in other teams you need to co-ordinate with or work with. That is part of normal induction into a role.

If the juniors can't show you something technical because they don't know, and your line manager can't show you because they don't know either, then you find out who does know.
For example ask the software supplier (for whom you are a customer, so they should happily help you), or you read up on the legislation and work it out from first principles, or you go online to find a help website.

This is probably how I'd describe a lot of my job too - how do I know how to handle the situation? I just have to figure it out myself. If there was a flowchart or rigid set of steps to follow then it would and could be handled by someone much more junior - if it has to be escalated up it's because it doesn't fit the norm and needs human judgement. This is really scary the first few times you do it, but it's a totally normal part of progressing. There is also a level of personal risk around decision making that you don't really have while more junior - again, this is just part of being more senior.

I'm aware that this thread is probably terrifying you. I think actually the most helpful question you can ask is 'where do you go/who do you ask if you DON'T know?'. You may yourself need to escalate more upwards to begin with - that's normal, and your boss should expect it in the early days of a new hire. You also hopefully will have staff within your team who can tell you how this kind of thing has been handled before. You then develop your own sense, and don't need either of those steers after a while. But it isn't something you can just download from your predecessor.

Have you been a people manager before? It might be helpful to think/learn about different strategies and approaches. To begin with, you might find you are almost forced to be a more 'consensual' style manager, as your team will know more than you about many things and so you are very reliant on them for the knowledge to allow you to make decisions. It may help both them and you to acknowledge to them that you aren't your predecessor, don't yet know all she knows, but that you're looking forward to working with them to look at what does and doesn't work in current processes. Don't go making changes for the sake of it - this is tempting (it feels like it will make you look efficient/decisive) but dangerous until you really understand why things are as they are. In my experience, that takes at least 6 months, probably a year if the role has any cyclical elements (things that are only done at certain times).

Snap. I wentfrom programme manager to head of change. No training I went out and asked questions. You don’t need the process you need the outputs and deliverables explaining to you mores

This is where once you start you do a state of the nation

report, outline gaps etc and your next steps. Senior roles are very rarely explained, you find your way through.

But the proper training and support wouldn’t be her role surely but the company

Sorry to say this job sounds too senior for you. I've moved from PM to programme manager in a new department. I haven't recieved any sort of handover, just been expected to get on with it. Because I feel comfortable at this level, I seek out answers, make decisions based on my judgement and yes, just figure it out. Seems like you are unable to do this and have quite unrealistic expectations. Yabu.

15 hours of handover, whilst she’s presumably still doing the very busy job, is a vast amount.

It sounds like you’re over anxious about taking on the job tbh

She sounds overwhelmed and desperate to leave.

Completely agree with this. 15 hours handover is a large amount, way more than I’d expect in a senior role and don’t think I’ve ever had any handover to be honest, just been expected to hit the ground running. That’s why they hire seniors not juniors.

“With proper training and support”

OP you are being unrealistic here - when you are brought in as “head of”, you ARE the training and support, you don’t get given it in a structured way. Sounds like you’ve not worked at this level before?

Look, I’m not unsympathetic here really I’m not. Several times I’ve inherited complete lack of processes from people who have previously left or are leaving and don’t care. And yes it has been hard, but I’ve figured it out.

She's already out of the door with zero fucks to be given so she can't be blamed.

Tons of roles are chock full of 'learnt knowledge' ie. You acquire it as you go along. It's impossible to teach someone every little thing you need to know for a role during a handover. In some ways it's better, as a fresh pair of eyes can often see better ways of doing things than the outgoing staff member who has done it that way for years because that's just their way.

Cracking opportunity to really make the job your own.

All of this. 15 hours!

Handover is all fair and well, but 15 hours sounds very excessive, if you need 15 hours handover, thats not a one person role, its too much in the reeds, or there is huge inefficiency, In reality you want to clarify with your JD (and keeping your manager abreast of your approach) how the handover is progressing. You want current status of all in flight items, and any processes in place, full POC etc.

If its becoming apparent that there are items outside your scope - raise it to management. If its becoming apparent theres inefficiency- raise it.

Your first 30 days at least, do a full review to ensure you're not responsible for anything outside your scope, that your capacity is adequate for the items, and if not, call it out. You only have so much capacity, if you take on the world you'll end up under delivering. Start fresh and start well. Dont just pick up the shit youve been handed. Your incumbent failed for a reason, don't follow blindly.

I think your expectations of a senior level handover are unrealistic.

I've never even had time with a predecessor, and rarely any kind of notes. I've just had to figure out what was happening previously, take what worked, fix what didn't, and just run with it. That's why the role has been senior - because I've been expected to be able to cope without training.

If you need the amount of training you think you do, I think this role is too senior for you.

A junior is often more than capable of being a senior manager with the right training and support. That training and support might take ten years.

A senior manager just rocks up and does the work, because they've already trained.

You talked your way into this job. Your options are, do you give up because you've bitten off more than you can chew, or do you rise to the occasion and figure things out?

I think as others have said, she’s done more than enough now and you’re going to have to take it from here.
You must have enough info now to have a good overall idea of things - and then you’ll have a manager/other colleagues to consult as things come up.

It sounds like there is very little documentation available because the departing employee has "done it all in her head" due to many years experience in the job, Distilling that kind of experience to a newbie can be very challenging. People who are expert as doing a job are not necessarily expert at describing how to do it. Think of trying to explain to someone how to ride a bicycle! You can tell them about the basic safety measures etc but you learn the skill of bike riding by doing it. The existing encumbent has nothing to gain at this point so no wonder she is becoming inpatient.

She can’t wait to leave and really doesn’t care if you “get” everything. You are going to have to fill the gaps in other ways or learn on the job. Is there a course that you can book yourself on to?

Honestly I think YABU because truthfully it’s not her problem. It sounds like she’s been working a too-big job for a long time, struggled to get SLT support, has decided she’s had enough, and what better way to really show senior leadership how big the job is once and for all than to have her replacement shout that message for her?

It's not really her problem to solve though? She quitting out of frustration with a clearly insane workload. Whoever has given her that workload is responsible. You'll do the same eventually unless you address the problem and get more staff. Hopefully you're the kind of person who is good at negotiating with a leadership team.

Prepare to step into a problem job.

15 hours is a very generous handover period. Do you think you have the experience level to operate at this seniority? Based on what you say is missing you appear to lack the technical skills for the role. But with senior level experience usually one can “ run with it”.

You can if you want to tell the CEO, but as she’s leaving I doubt much can be done like pulling her up on it. Another posted said here, be extremely nice and learn what you can