SP-005-003 Work Leave Coordination

Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure continuity of ongoing projects and tasks when a team member goes on planned leave (e.g., medical leave, parental leave, extended absence). By requiring a structured handover document before the leave begins, we minimize disruption, enable informed decision-making by colleagues covering responsibilities, and ensure that critical milestones are not missed.

Scope

This procedure applies to all team members who are going on a planned leave of absence that exceeds five consecutive working days. It covers all ongoing projects, tasks, and responsibilities that the departing team member owns or contributes to.

Responsibilities

The team member going on leave

• Create the work leave coordination record before the leave starts
• Ensure completeness and accuracy of the documented information
• Brief relevant colleagues on any context not captured in the document

Direct manager

• Review the work leave coordination record for completeness
• Assign interim owners for each documented project or responsibility
• Ensure the team is aware of the handover arrangements

JD-006

• Ensure this procedure is triggered as part of the leave management process
• Archive the completed records

Development

When to create the record

The work leave coordination record must be created and submitted before the leave begins. Ideally, it should be ready at least three working days before the start of the leave to allow time for review and questions.

Record content

Each record must contain the following information:

Ongoing projects summary

For each significant ongoing project or responsibility, document:

1. Project name and description: A brief explanation of what the project consists of
2. Role and responsibilities: What the team member's specific role and responsibilities are within the project
3. Current status: Where the project stands at the time of leave
4. Expected milestones: What events, deliverables, or decisions are expected to occur during the absence, including approximate dates
5. Contingency guidance: What to do if something unexpected happens (e.g., "if BSI sends non-conformities, Saray can handle the initial response"; "if the hospital has a question, escalate to the project lead")
6. Interim owner: Who will cover responsibilities during the absence (agreed with the direct manager)

Gantt chart

In addition to the prose description, include a Mermaid Gantt chart providing a visual timeline of the expected milestones across all projects. This chart helps the team quickly understand what is expected and when.

Example structure (not rendered):

gantt
    title Work Leave Coordination - [Employee Name]
    dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD
    section Project A
    Milestone 1           :milestone, m1, 2025-06-01, 0d
    Task in progress      :active, t1, 2025-05-01, 30d
    section Project B
    Expected response     :milestone, m2, 2025-06-15, 0d

Record storage

Records are stored in the QMS under:

records/GP-005/work-leave-coordination/[employee-name]/[YYYY-MM-DD].mdx

Where:

• [employee-name] is the team member's name in lowercase kebab-case (e.g., jordi-barrachina)
• [YYYY-MM-DD] is the start date of the leave

Process flow

Associated Documents

• GP-005 Human Resources and Training
• R-005-003 Work Leave Coordination (records folder)

Signature meaning

The signatures for the approval process of this document can be found in the verified commits at the repository for the QMS. As a reference, the team members who are expected to participate in this document and their roles in the approval process, as defined in Annex I Responsibility Matrix of the GP-001, are:

• Author: Team members involved
• Reviewer: JD-003 Design & Development Manager, JD-004 Quality Manager & PRRC
• Approver: JD-001 General Manager