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Research to Operations

Knowledge Transfer Transition Plan Template Instructions

(Version: November 15, 2023)

This knowledge transfer transition plan template should be used for the transition of knowledge either to an adopter or a group (e.g. risk managers, hurricane research community, or the general public), and can include knowledge transfer/transition as publication of a journal article, public-facing report, agency recommendations, and other forms of knowledge that are intended for society and/or the scientific community.

Staff who are creating the knowledge transition plans as well as those signing should remember that a transition plan is intended to provide the vision for the proposed transition efforts toward uses to meet mission requirements. It is a living document to be amended with increasing detail as the project matures and will remain valid as long as the corresponding development project is completed successfully, satisfies end user-defined Line Office metrics for success and constraints, and clearly surpasses each of the associated gates or requirements for transition.

Remember this template is provided as a guide and not all sections that are identified in the template may be needed for all transitions. Key sections are derived from NAO 216-105B Handbook Appendix D[1].  Users can use those sections which may be pertinent to their needs to provide the necessary information on their transition.

The ultimate decision to transition this project to operations resides with the appropriate decision maker of the receiving Line Office or external end-user. The signing of a transition plan provides situational awareness of the work and review / acknowledgement to move forward.  It does not represent a binding agreement and/or funding availability. Signatures for the review and acknowledgement process will be dependent upon the maturity of the technology, type of transition, end users and their requirements If and when projects transition outside of NOAA, every attempt should be made to obtain letters of support from end user(s) as well as NOAA appropriate signatures. Note: No sensitive, personal identifiable information (PII) and/or proprietary information should be contained in a Transition Plan.

If needed, please consult with the Office of Research, Transition, and Application for additional questions on developing and customizing transition plans.

[1]NAO 216-105B Handbook: https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2020/Mar/Handbook_NAO216-105B_03-21-17.pdf