Marta
Getting up to speed on a file with Marta
Picking up someone else's work without reading eighty emails.
It is one of the biggest time sinks and one nobody talks about: someone leaves, goes on sick leave or changes role, and another person has to pick up their files. The norm is spending a morning reconstructing the story.
The four questions that solve 90%
- 1
"Summarise what has happened in this file"
The sequence, not the detail. Enough to get oriented in two minutes.
- 2
"What is outstanding and who is it waiting on?"
Separates what is yours from what you are waiting for.
- 3
"What was promised to this person?"
What was said by email or message and not yet delivered.
- 4
"Is anything expiring soon here?"
The question that stops you inheriting a problem in week one.
Important
The third saves the most grief. Verbal or emailed commitments are the first thing lost in a handover, and the first thing the other party asks about.
What to verify yourself
| Aspect | Why check it yourself |
|---|---|
| Real deadlines | A summary can misquote them; the original rules |
| Amounts and terms | Any figure you are going to use gets checked |
| Who the contact is | It may have changed without the history saying so |
Watch out
Do not use a summary as the basis for answering a client without opening what was summarised. A summary tells you where to look; it does not replace reading what matters.
And the reverse: leaving a file behind
If you are the one leaving, the best legacy is not a handover document: it is that everything you did lives in the file rather than in your inbox. With that, whoever takes over can ask and get answers; without it, no summary is possible.
Worth knowing
Marta answers from what exists in your organisation and what your permissions let you see. If a file was restricted, the summary will not include it either — the same rule as everywhere else on the platform.
›Can it summarise several files at once?
Yes, and for a full handover that is usually the first question.
›Does it see emails?
Whatever is recorded on the platform. What stayed in a personal inbox, no.
›Does it get things wrong?
It can. Anything going to a client is checked against the original.
A real case
The situation
Someone inherits fourteen files from a colleague on leave.
What you do
- Asks for a summary and outstanding items across all fourteen
- Manually checks dates and amounts on the three most urgent
What you get
Starts working the same morning instead of spending two days reconstructing the state.
The situation
You must catch up on a months-old file.
What you do
- Asks for a status summary
What you get
Catching up takes minutes.
The situation
Somebody covers for a colleague on leave.
What you do
- Asks for a summary of their files
What you get
The handover starts informed.
The situation
A meeting with a supplier is being prepared.
What you do
- Asks what is outstanding with them
What you get
The meeting starts with data.
The situation
The summary leaves out something important.
What you do
- Asks expressly about that point
What you get
The answer covers what was needed.
The situation
The whole file is read just in case.
What you do
- Asks for the summary and opens only what is doubtful
What you get
Time goes on what matters.
This article answers
- catch up on a file someone else handled
- summary of what happened in a process
- taking over from a colleague on leave
- quickly understand the state of a case